Russia’s FM calls on Syrian opposition to propose 'own' peace plan

Published time: January 13, 2013 19:55
Edited time: January 14, 2013 12:08
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. (Reuters)

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has urged the Syrian opposition to suggest a viable peace plan following the Syrian President’s recent call for dialogue.

The Foreign Minister admitted that the initiatives forwarded by Assad in his speech on January 6 in which he invited the Syrian opposition to dialogue may be considered not far-reaching enough by some, “but these are initiatives.”

“If I were in the opposition's place, I would present…counter-ideas on ways to establish dialogue," he suggested.

Lavrov emphasized that the opposition’s demand that President Bashar al-Assad be removed from power as a precondition for peace talks was not realistic.

"This is a precondition that is not contained in the Geneva communique (agreed by world powers in June) and which is impossible to implement," Lavrov said Sunday following his talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara.

The Geneva communiqué, as accepted by world powers in June, calls on both sides to adhere to an interim government; the document does not prevent Assad from participating in any future negotiations on the creation of a new government.

“We are hearing from opposition groups that they have decided to fight till final victory, so how can we talk about implementing the Geneva communiqué,” Lavrov asked.

The minister warned that having Assad’s resignation as a precondition for peace may provoke “more and more casualties”.

“Those who support such approach should be responsible for this,” he explained.

The question of Assad’s political future in Syria remains a bone of contention between Russia and the Western powers concerning a possible solution to the conflict.

While Moscow insists that only Syrians can decide their future including ousting Assad, either though elections or dialogue, Western powers, along with the Arab League states, insist that to solve the conflict Assad should first step down.

Lavrov noted that at the January 11 meeting in Geneva, which hosted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and UN/LAS special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, the sides arrived at the consensus that the Syrian crisis threatens the entire region.

"We agree that in this situation the only ones to gain are probably radicals, extremists linked with terrorist groups of the Al-Qaeda type." 

The civil war in Syria has lasted almost two years and according to UN estimates claimed lives of 60,000 people.

Comments (74)

You still see nothing.. (unregistered) 15.01.2013 12:14

AmericanInRomania (unregistered) wrote in #9
I see.Because you don't like his conclusions you think finding a professor who disapproved of his work in Africa, that somehow discredits his work he was chosen to do in Syria?
You still see nothing.. Only when you feel ashamed of your government and stop praising a useless problem solver like  Kofi Annan... then you will start to understand and see.  US MAfia and its allies are not interested in saving lives in the world.. they are the ones that promotes the destruction of it.. with their covert op wars and coups.. like in Syria.. arming terrorist that later Assassinate civilians womens and children. US and kofi Annan promoted intervention in Kosovo a few dozens killed.. but when in Rwanda a million die.. they just look to the sides.. Go see the next documentary and listen carefully how your own president says openly they only interfere in conflicts when they can benefit economically from it. Rwanda was completely ignored because they had no oil , no gas , and your country had nothing to win from helping there.. Shows clearly western Stance is Syria is 100% a business thing.. and nothing to do with Democracy since they welcome many dictators around the world with long human rights violations and opressions. like Saudi Arabia and Qatar and many others and nothing to do with "humanitarian causes" since they supply weapons to terrorist and encourage them to continue fighting regardless of civilians lives .here you can see how Obama supplied weapons to alqaeda and other terrorist to fight in Libya and now Syria.http://larouch epac.com/node/24789
another documentary by international press..How US government and its Kofi Annan marionette  allows massacres on civilians and look to the sides when is not in their interest. like on Rwanda civil war.millions killed slowly by machete,everyone explained in details of the genocide that was happening and the white house even refused to call a genocide .  Shows the garbage that is your government politics that have no morals no values no dignity.  Watch the next video so you can see.. how pathetic your Government politicians are.  http://youtu.be/53 3609lZXk4

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Germany News (unregistered) 15.01.2013 10:09

No word on the two Russian spies apprehended in Germany? C'mon RT, you can do better than that.

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birchwood (unregistered) 15.01.2013 09:27

Much like being in a "Forest", the ambience of a peaceful environment is overwhelmingly good........ But if the disease of "Rabies" breaks out in the "Forest", everything is out of control.

Much the same in the modern world... I do not support Assad or those using him as a proxy, but hope the people of Syria can be helped, as the disease of "Rabies" seems to be in control at the moment.  Where will this disease of "Rabies" break out next, in Detroit, Michigan or South Ossetia, etc.

As Mr. Lavrov openly suggests, if someone has a better plan, please offer it, for it is the people of Syria they are trying to help, not Assad........ Everything has to begin at some point...... As famous General MacArthur said (Words may not be completely correct), "Old Soldiers just fade away, and I will fade away", when President Truman forced him to resign (Politics, as we learned later).

Humbl y, I hope competent men such as Mr. Lavrov, Mr. John Kerry (of the U.S.), Bill Cohen (of the U.S.), etc. can bring other competent people together, and common sense is able to surface in helping the ordinary person of this culture, going back thousands of years.

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