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Russia supports UN SC resolution on Syria

Moscow urged “all Syrian sides, including the armed opposition, to stop violence immediately, strictly comply with the Kofi Annan plan and start broad-based negotiations”

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia supported the U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria due to the need for a speedy deployment of an advance group of observers in Syria, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said.

The resolution, unanimously adopted by the U.N. Security Council on Saturday, April 14, “requires not only to the government of Syria but also to the opposition groups to interact” with the observers and “comply with the Kofi Annan six-point plan”.

The initial version of the resolution “was changed considerably under the influence of Russia and other members of the U.N. Security Council to become more balanced and better reflect realities and the prerogatives of the government of Syria that will be receiving the U.N. observer mission in the country”, Churkin said.

“The observers, one of whom will be a Russian officer, are facing a challenging task. They will have to show high professionalism, courage and objectivity,” the ambassador said.

He stressed the need to create favourable conditions for the observers, including in terms of security.

“Now we are waiting for the U.N. Secretary-General to provide the Security Council with concrete proposals on how to launch a large-scale U.N. observer mission,” he added.

Churkin said Moscow voted for the resolution “being guided by the need to support Kofi Annan’s mission” and recalled that “Russia not only welcomed the Secretary-General’s decision to appoint him but also provided effective and energetic support despite predictions of his inevitable failure”.

“Another matter of our concern is sceptical statements in some capitals that Kofi Annan’s mission and diplomatic efforts to stabilise the situation in Syria and foster a political process there are doomed to fail. Such statements are not conducive to the implementation of the special envoy’s plan and interested countries’ efforts to launch an inter-Syrian inclusive political dialogue,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier in the day.

Moreover, “they spur the opposition to continue the armed struggle that kills people and damages Syrian infrastructure”, it added.

“Just yesterday, terrorists shot a Syrian army officer in Hama, blow up a bomb and attacked a military patrol with dynamite sticks. Similar incidents with attacks by some opposition groups were registered in other Syrian cities as well,” the ministry said.

Moscow urged “all Syrian sides, including the armed opposition, to stop violence immediately, strictly comply with the Kofi Annan plan and start broad-based negotiations”.