"Such fears arise when we get acquainted with the plans that the US is beginning to implement on the ground, primarily to the East of the Euphrates, on vast territories between this river and the border of Syria with Iraq and Turkey," the Russian top diplomat said, Sputnik reported.
He further urged Washington not to "play with fire" in Syria and carefully consider its steps based "not on immediate needs of today's political situation, but rather from the long-term interests of the Syrian people and all people in region, including the Kurds," adding, "It seems to me that the statements of our American colleagues that the only purpose is to fight ISIL (Daesh) and preserve territorial integrity need to be confirmed by actions."
"Unfortunately, with all the statements about the need to unite efforts in the fight against this common evil (terrorism), there is still a desire to use this situation for geopolitical narrow-minded purposes and attempts continue to move away from truly collective work," Lavrov said, when speaking on session of the International Discussion Club "Valdai".
He emphasized that the Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity must be preserved, in accordance with international law and UN resolutions.
The Kurds are being used in a game, which has no relation to their own interests, the foreign policy chief said, urging to refrain from exploiting the so-called "Kurdish factor."
According to Lavrov, Russia has doubts that the US-led coalition truly aims to fight Al-Nusra Front terrorists in Syria.
"Al-Nusra Front militants do not halt their provocations. In particular, they shelled residential areas of Damascus, including the Russian embassy, the Russian trade mission, from East Ghouta. Nevertheless, our Western partners for some reason prefer to make a fuss about these two areas — Idlib, East Ghouta, without saying what is happening there," he said.
Previously, the Russian foreign minister blamed the US for aiming to separate part of Syria to create a Kurdish-dominated autonomy.
The Kurds took advantage of the fighting in Syria and in 2011 and proclaimed a semi-autonomous state along the Northern border of the country. In addition to this, in January, US Col. Thomas Veale announced that the US-led coalition had been training the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that comprises the YPG to create a 30,000-strong force to maintain security along Syria's borders, which had been slammed as a "terrorist army" by Ankara. Following the controversial announcement, the Turkish army launched operation dubbed the "Olive Branch" in Syria's Kurds-dominated Afrin against Kurdish YPG forces, which Ankara believes have links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
(FNA)
19/2/18
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that calls by unnamed members of the U.N. Security Council for the Syrian army to halt an offensive in Idlib province were designed to help Jabhat Fatah al-Sham – formerly known as the Nusra Front, RIA news agency reported.
ReplyDeleteLavrov was cited as calling Nusra Front "a terrorist structure" and calling on Western countries to use what he said was their influence to discipline its members. If they did not, he said the group would be destroyed.
REUTERS