The Telegraph
Friday, April 6 2012
United Kingdom
{Syria's opposition will never defeat President Bashar al-Assad's army even if it is "armed to the teeth," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Wednesday. }
Syria's opposition will never defeat President Bashar al-Assad's army even if it is "armed to the teeth," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Wednesday.
He added that Syria's foreign minister would also be coming to Moscow on April 10.
"Right now, representatives of one group of the opposition are coming (to Moscow), and a few days later a second group will come from the domestic opposition," Lavrov said without providing further details.
Russia last month said that it planned to soon host members of a moderate opposition group called the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change in Syria.
"It would make sense to convince them that we also want to help resolve this problem," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted Lavrov as saying.
Russia has also been highly critical of the so-called 'Friends of Syria' meetings that group Western powers and some Arab states.
Its latest conference last weekend in Istanbul recognised the opposition Syrian National Council (SNC) as a "legitimate representative" of all Syrians.
Lavrov called the move counterproductive because it discouraged the rebels from engaging in talks.
"If besides supporting Kofi Annan's plan (nations) also hold 'Friends of Syria' meetings in Istanbul – ones that are aimed at ensuring that the opposition does not agree to negotiations – this only undermines efforts to stop the violence," Lavrov said.
Source: AFP
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Friday, April 6th 2012 at 1:22AM
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