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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
© 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