Lavrov Urges Syria Dialogue, Says Ceasefire Needed before Peacekeeping Mission

Local Editor

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Monday for dialogue in Syria, stressing that a ceasefire was needed in Syria before the United Nations could deploy UN-Arab peacekeepers in the country. Speaking after a meeting on Monday in the Russian capital, Moscow, with his Emirati counterpart, Lavrov said: "We have joint efforts to support the [Syrian] people and its aspiration and hopes for a better life, democratic development, joint effort for this aspiration to stop this bloodshed". "For this reason we need wide inter-Syrian dialogue and co-operation to find a solution or decisions which will meet the interest of all Syrians and which will rule out interference from outside". The minister said that his country was considering the Arab initiative. "We are studying this initiative and expect our friends from the Arab states to provide us with a clarification of certain points," Lavrov said after talks with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan. "In order to deploy a peacekeeping mission, you need the agreement of the receiving side," Lavrov said. "In other words, you need to agree something resembling a ceasefire. But the problem is that the armed groups that are fighting the Syrian regime do not answer to anyone and are not controlled by anyone." The Arab League on Sunday urged the United Nations to a joint peacekeeping force to Syria. For its part, Damascus rejected the plan as a “flagrant” interference, assuring it was determined to restore security.

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