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Russia Wants Bilateral Demilitarization in Syria - Lavrov

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  • Russia Wants Bilateral Demilitarization in Syria - Lavrov

    Russia Wants Bilateral Demilitarization in Syria - Lavrov

    © RIA Novosti. Sergei Guneev


    MOSCOW, March 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia could consider steps toward
    demilitarizing the conflict in Syria, but wants first some
    `explanations' about foreign weapons supplies to the Syrian
    opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday.
    The possibility of demilitarizing the war-torn Syria was first
    discussed at a meeting of UN-backed international Action Group for
    Syria in Geneva in 2011, Lavrov said in an interview to BBC, the
    transcript of which is available on Russian Foreign Ministry's
    website.
    But continuing arms supplies to opponents of Syrian President Bashar
    al-Assad hamper the demilitarization effort, Lavrov said.
    `We want some explanations: How exactly, on what exact routes the
    supplies which are heading towards the opposition could be checked,'
    Lavrov was cited as saying in English.
    `If we are provided such an answer...then, maybe, we can consider some
    steps to demilitarize this conflict. But so far, there was nothing,'
    he said.
    Russia is Syria's biggest arms supplier and was often accused since
    the start of the conflict of providing weapons to Assad's embattled
    regime. Civil strife in Syria has been going on for two years, and the
    death toll exceeded 70,000, according to the latest UN estimates.
    Lavrov said in the interview that Russian arms supplies are limited to
    air defense weapons which `can't be used in this war,' as well as a
    `couple of helicopters' that `would not make a difference on the
    ground.' He said last June that Syrian army helicopters were sent to
    Russia for maintenance.
    The United States, as well as France and Britain, have provided
    non-lethal military equipment to the ragtag Syrian opposition, which
    was also reported by media to receive infantry weapons from Middle
    Eastern countries opposing Assad's regime, including Saudi Arabia.




    From: A. Papazian
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