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Keep off Syria, Russian prime minister warns

Turkey plans new world meeting as UN rights chief says veto has fuelled massacre

  • By Layelle Saad, GCC/Middle East Editor
  • Published: 00:00 February 9, 2012
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: AP
  • Members of the Free Syrian Army train outside Idlib, Syria, on Tuesday. Army deserters and opposition activists, at least nominally commanded by officers based in Turkey, are fighting back against President Bashar Al Assad’s violent response to a mostly peaceful protest movement that now threatens to slide into sectarian civil war.

Dubai: Russia on Wednesday warned against outside interference in Syria after more than 50 civilians were reportedly killed in the restive city of Homs on the fifth consecutive day of shelling by Syrian forces.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned the West against behaving "like a bull in a china shop", saying Syrians themselves should be allowed to decide their own fate.

"Of course, we condemn violence from whichever side it comes, but we must not behave like a bull in a china shop. We need to allow people to decide their own fate independently," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying.

Russia, along with China, last week vetoed a draft UN resolution condemning Syria's crackdown on protesters and calling for reforms. Analysts say Russia fears losing its last foothold in the region if President Bashar Al Assad's regime collapses.

The veto has fuelled the Syrian regime's massacre of its own people, according to UN Human Rights chief Navi Pillay.

"The failure of the Security Council to agree on firm collective action appears to have fuelled the Syrian government's readiness to massacre its own people in an effort to crush dissent," she said in a statement.

Turkey, which has taken the lead along with Qatar, in condemning the Syrian regime, yesterday called for an international conference on Syria to send a "strong message of support to the Syrian people".

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: "We definitely want to have this meeting in our region, maybe in Turkey, maybe in another country."

Aid should be sent to Syrians trapped in the city of Homs, he added.

In a phone call with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he wants the search for a solution to the Syrian crisis to continue, including within the UN Security Council.Medvedev urged "the necessity of continuing — including at the UN Security Council — a search for coordinated approaches to help the Syrians regulate the crisis themselves".

He added that this must happen "without outside interference, with complete respect for the sovereignty of Syria".

Comments (4)

  1. Added 18:04 February 9, 2012

    UN is a failed body as it allowed killing and wars around the world. We should form another world control body which do justice for all. We should not allowed this veto system in the new body. The world should unite.

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  2. Added 16:40 February 9, 2012

    How dare Russia say the "Syrian people" should sort out the problem when they are supplying the weapons being used to butcher them. Should the Syrians prevail over Assad's regime, one hopes they will pay particular attention to relations with the two countries who have abandoned and betrayed them.

    Anonymous, Manama, Bahrain

  3. Added 13:08 February 9, 2012

    I think the world should let Russia and China resolve the ongoing domestic violence in Syria. Let them do what is necessary to stop the carnage in Syria. I wonder why great nations such as Russia and China, regardless of political interest, would veto a UN resolution condemning Syria's massacre of its own people, where infact the resolution itself is supported by the Arab league. What kind of Foreign Policy is maintaining a political clout in Syria while the rest of the world is despising you for illogical "international politicking?"

    carlos ante, dubai, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 10:24 February 9, 2012

    Your article, Keep off Syria,Russian prime ministerwarns, was good to read. In the recent months a lot of casualites, mainly civilians, are visible in the Syrian military attacks. In spite of Arab Cooperative Council's intervention, no solution has arrived which is sad and painful. Now the time has come for this bloodshed to be stopped. Only the people of Syria and Assad's government should decide. World interference has not paid the dividend for Syrians. Let us hope this crisis will come to an end. K.Ragavan. Chennai. India

    K.Ragavan., chennai, India

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