Lavrov: 'Syrian militant "provocateurs" are not peacful protesters!'

FLC

"..."The main thing is to avoid painting the picture that Syrian security forces, the armed forces are acting solely against peaceful demonstrators," Lavrov told journalists on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
"There are very many armed provocateurs [among the Syrian protesters]," he said, adding "I think no state would tolerate direct attempts at rebellion."
Syrian security forces have been trying to "free" residential locations seized by a "large group of armed militants," he said...
Lavrov reiterated Russia's position on Wednesday, saying that the country would not support a resolution condemning violence in Syria that France and Britain are expected to put to a vote at the UN Security Council in the near future. Russia insists that reforms promised by Assad should go forward and a dialogue with the opposition launched to resolve the crisis, the minister said. "We urge that... the reforms announced by President Assad are implemented, but at the same time, the forces leading the opposition, those who carry out armed attacks on the government forces and government buildings, must respond to a call for dialogue," he said.
A delegation of Syrian human rights activists will visit Moscow on June 27 to discuss ways out of the political crisis in the country with Mikhail Margelov, the Russian presidential envoy to Africa, the head of the Syrian Center for Political & Strategic Studies, an independent organization based in Washington, told RIA Novosti. According to Russian media reports, the visit will take place by invitation of Russian public organizations."

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Lavrov Stresses Russia's Firm Stance in Rejection of UN Security Council Resolution against Syria Jun 15, 2011

MOSCOW, (SANA) – Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday stressed his country's firm stance in rejection of issuing any UN Security Council resolution against Syria. In a press statement at the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, he said that President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia said everything that should be said of a resolution to be put at the table of the UN Security Council in this regard. The situation in Syria isn't as simple as some try to portray in light of the existence of armed groups which took hold of some inhabited areas which the Syrian army forces entered to hunt these armed members and get the villages rid of them, he added. Lavrov indicated to the large numbers of armed members in Syria, stressing the necessity of stopping attempts of presenting the matter as if the Syrian army and security forces are acting against peaceful demonstrators. "No country in the world tolerates insurgency," said the Russian Foreign Minister reiterating his country's stress on stopping all sabotage acts to give the chance for reforms announced by President Bashar al-Assad to be fulfilled. Lavrov said that the opposition and those who launched armed attacks on governmental institutions and forces should respond to the government's call for dialogue and stop opposing all proposals to discuss the issued reforms. R. Raslan/ H. Said

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