Ryabkov: Some Members of Syrian Opposition are Armed, We Know How They're Supplied and Supported from Abroad
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday affirmed that the Russian draft resolution on Syria submitted to the UN Security Council aims at guaranteeing its stability, ceasing violence from any source, protecting its citizens, and holding comprehensive national dialogue.
In a statement, Lavrov said that Russia is against the use of the Libyan precedent which bluntly violated relevant Security Council resolutions on settling conflicts, and that Russia is also against the use of the "protecting the civilians" slogans to support one part in a civil war.
Lavrov reiterated Russia's welcoming of signing the Arab League Observer mission protocol, saying that this protocol will help guarantee the safety of Syrians and stabilize the situation, voicing Moscow's confidence in the mission's ability to achieve this.
He pointed out that throughout the 2011 events in the Middle East and North Africa, Russia sought to adopt a course that ends violence, protects human rights and helps all sides of conflicts to resolve issues peacefully through dialogue, affirming his country's readiness to continue developing partnerships with the region's countries on the basis of equality and reciprocal interests.
In his turn, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russia consider Syria's signing of the Arab League observer mission protocol to be a very positive message, and that Russia believes in the need to continue moving towards dialogue and reconciliation.
In an interview with Russia Today TV, Ryabkov dismissed the idea that the Syrian opposition consists entirely of peaceful unarmed people, stressing that the opposite is true and that he has documented knowledge of how the opposition is being supplied and supported from abroad.
He also pointed out that achieving a settlement in Syria is still possible as the matter hasn't reached the point of no return.
