adminRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hailed the Geneva accord based on proposals by Annan as an “important step” but said that Western capitals had read more into the final statement than what was written on paper.
“These (Geneva) agreements are not there to be interpreted. They mean exactly what is said in the communique and we need to follow the agreements that were made,” he said.
His comments came soon after Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi had told reporters that a “shift” in positions by Russia and its diplomatic ally China at the Geneva talks should not be underestimated.
World powers on Saturday agreed a plan for a transition in Syria, which did not make an explicit call for President Bashar al-Assad to quit power. However the West swiftly made clear it saw no role for Assad in a unity government.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that Russia will not attend a “Friends of Syria” meeting in Paris on Friday aimed at co-ordinating Western and Arab efforts to stop the violence in the country.
“Russia was invited. They made it known that they did not want to participate, which is not a surprise,” he told reporters.
Russia, a traditional ally of Syria, and China did not attend any previous meetings of the group. The Paris meeting will be the third such gathering after one in Tunis in February and another in April in Istanbul called for tougher action against the Assad regime. — AFP
Online Reporter