United Nations: Russia attempted to turn the tables on critics of its stance on Syria at the United Nations on Friday, insisting that it is the West which stands in the way of concerted international action.
Russia faced a barrage of criticism at this week’s UN General Assembly from countries that accuse it of thwarting efforts to halt the Syrian civil war by using its veto to quash resolutions targeting the Damascus regime.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted before the assembly that the logjam was the fault of the powers that have failed to implement an earlier agreement on the conflict dubbed the “Geneva accord”.
“We have consistently called for concerted efforts by the international community to compel the governments and its opponents to immediately cease violence and come to the negotiating table,” Lavrov said.
The Kremlin envoy said that in his meetings in New York, Russia had urged fellow members of the diplomatic contact group on the Syrian war “to fully reconfirm the commitments that all of us have taken on in Geneva.”
“This is the quickest way to stop the loss of life in Syria,” he said, recalling that Moscow had proposed a resolution confirming that Syria was to see a transition of power under the terms of the Geneva accord.
“But this proposal has been blocked,” he complained, warning: “Those who oppose the implementation of the Geneva communique take upon themselves an enormous responsibility.
“They insist on a ceasefire only by the government and encourage the opposition to intensify hostilities. But in doing so they essentially push Syria even deeper into the abyss of bloody internecine strife.”
“The number of war crimes is growing both on the side of government forces and the opposition,” he said.
In June, world powers agreed to support a Russian-backed transition plan for Syria that made no explicit call for its beleaguered ally, Bashar Al Assad, to quit power before an interim unity government is formed.
But fighting has since continued and intensified in Syria, and the United States, France and Britain have made it clear they want to see the strongman go, while pushing for a tougher UN resolution targeting his regime.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron angered Moscow by declaring in front of the United Nations that the failure to act had left the United Nations stained by the “blood of these young children” slain in Syria.
