Russian FM warns “third parties” against involvement in Syria conflict

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Tuesday, April 17 against “third parties” becoming involved in the Syrian conflict, RIA Novosti reported.

“I can’t help focusing on the problem of outer influence on the Syrian processes. There are countries, external forces which are not interested in the success of the UN Security Council’s efforts [on solving the conflict],” Lavrov said at a press conference.

The minister said that some forces tried to replace the UN Security Council with some unofficial groups like the U.S.-backed "Friends of Syria" group which, as he said, antagonized the Syrian opposition against peaceful talks with the government.

On February 5, the next day after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution on Syria pushing for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proposed setting up a group that would “work with the friends of a democratic Syria around the world to support the opposition’s peaceful, political plans for change,” a group Moscow said would never be recognized.

Lavrov also called on the international community to think about Syrian people’s interests, but not about their own “opportunistic” goals.