Putin Calls for 'Restraint and Caution' over Syria
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Friday called for restraint over the Syria crisis, after talks with his French counterpart who accused President Bashar Assad of being deaf to pressure.
"We are calling for restraint and caution. This is our position," Putin told a news conference, the day after his foreign minister had likened the situation in Syria to a civil war.
Russia has accused the Syrian opposition of stoking the unrest in the country, a position that has irked the West which wants Moscow to join unequivocal international pressure against Assad.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon issued a sterner statement against Damascus, saying Assad was ignoring international calls for reforms and an end to the lethal crackdown on demonstrators.
"We consider that the situation is becoming more and more dramatic. Bashar Assad has stayed deaf to the calls of the international community and has not followed up reform promises and the massacres are continuing," Fillon said.
"We think that it is indispensable to increase international pressure and we have tabled a resolution at the United Nations. We hope it will find as wide support as possible," he added.
Diplomats from Germany, France and Britain tabled a resolution condemning human rights abuses by the Syrian government at the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee on Thursday for a vote expected next Tuesday, officials said.
Success could increase pressure on the U.N. Security Council to act over the Syria crisis. Russia and China last month vetoed a council resolution condemning the deadly crackdown by Assad's forces.
Putin's call for restraint came after he was asked by a reporter whether Russia would support a U.N. resolution condemning the Syrian regime, but it was unclear if his answer referred directly to this.
But Putin emphasized that Russia was ready to work with the international community.
"We are not intending to neglect the opinion of our partners and we will cooperate with everyone," he said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday the attack by Syrian army defectors on a Damascus military intelligence base this week resembled a civil war and urged the world to pressure the opposition as well as the regime.
18 November 2011, 15:28
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it's obvious why the west says they won't interfere in syria...becasue they don't want to be drawn into a situation where the russians and chinese and iranians will back assad, assuring a protracted civil war. they will arm assad while the west arms the opposition in syria and you'll have a civil war. if it wasn't for russia's stance, i would feel much more confident that assad will be pushed from power. unfortunately, i am afraid that he will survive.
18 November 2011, 20:08
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Bigdig you are really naive if you think Putin care about Bashar or his regime who will crumble sooner or later simply because 80% of syrians oppose it.
He is just asking for a price in order for Russia not to vetoe aUN resolution; that could be Russian membership to OCDE, facilties in commerce or more influence in the Caucasus for exemple.
Just to remind you that despite being historically, culturally and religiously
brothers with Serbia...Russia who first opposed NATO intervention, finally turned a blind eye on Milosevic...and Syria is much less important than little brother Serbia in Russias' mind
Also Iran will soon have to deal with its own nuclear crisis...so keep dreaming nobody can save bashar anymore .economy crumbling .no more cash to pay his soldiers, ..it is just a question of time b$4 he is gone.
