Russia calls on the Opposition in Syria to abandon armed groups

Russia calls on the Opposition in Syria to abandon armed groups

Nov 07, 2011

MOSCOW, (SANA)-Russia on Monday called on the opposition in Syria to abandon the armed groups who use smuggled weapons to instigate the authorities to respond to their acts.

"Within this context comes the statements of some western countries that arouse deep concern and include unilateral evaluations for the events in Syria; and they even include the opposition calls not to throw weapons, not to accept the amnesty announced by the Syrian authorities… in reference to the statements of the US Department of State Spokesperson who called on the armed groups not to throw their weapons," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It added that Russia has effectively supported the plan proposed by the Arab League to settle the crisis and welcomed the Syrian authorities' readiness to carry it out, saying "an important step in this regard was taken by Damascus on November 4th through releasing 553 prisoners in addition to the amnesty issued for those who give themselves up to the Syrian authorities."

The statement underlined that the implementation of those measures and others of the Arab League initiative pave the way for conducting a constructive and tangible political dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign Minister has called on a number of Foreign Ministers and leaders of the international organizations to support the Arab League initiative on the situations in Syria.

The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concern over news of new acts of violence that caused new victims in the latest days in Syria, particularly in Homs, saying "it is a natural duty for the Syrian authorities to guarantee security and rights of its citizens and the general stability.

It also expressed concern over what has been announced by the Syrian opposition of its rejection of conducting a dialogue proposed by the Arab League with Damascus, stressing that this stance won't contribute, in any case, to normalizing the stance in Syria and it fully rejects the peaceful initiative of the Arab countries.
Mazen

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