German Foreign Minister Presses Russia on Syria
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle Wednesday pressed Russia to distance itself from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on opposition rebels.
"Russia has to make clear that it does not want to have anything to do with these acts of violence and this repression," Westerwelle said on the sidelines of a two-day meeting with Group of Eight ministers in Washington.
He called on the G8 to send a "signal of unity and resolve" to Assad, deploring reports about ongoing violence in Syria, despite a Tuesday deadline for the regime to withdraw from protest hubs.
"Unfortunately, the violence continues. There is a clear responsibility for that which lies with the Assad regime," the German foreign minister said.
Russia is the main ally of the Syrian president, who has sent forces to crush a year-long uprising in violence that the United Nations says has killed more than 9,000 people.
Moscow has vetoed U.N. Security Council measures condemning Assad.
Source: Agence France Presse
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