MOSCOW, November 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia has managed to persuade Syria’s opposition it would be impermissible to militarize the conflict in Syria, the deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, Ilyas Umakhanov, told the media after talks with a visiting delegation of the Syrian National Union under Burhan Galyun on Tuesday.
He agreed that “during the conversation not all evaluations were identical.”
“Nevertheless an agreement was reached on some fundamental things,” Umakhanov said.
“We achieved the understanding any form of foreign interference by force will be impermissible,” Umakhanov said. “We agreed that in order to move onwards it is necessary to find the strength and courage to rise above tactical differences and move towards each other.”
Also, according to the FC deputy speaker, the participants in the meeting agreed “to do everything to suspend violence, to prevent an escalation of confrontation or transformation of the already high political tensions into a militarization of the conflict, when it would be no longer possible to negotiate any democratic change, and the factor of force will dominate on either side.”
“We agreed to convey this message to the Syrian authorities to persuade them exert every effort to prevent a further escalation and to stop killings of Syrians by Syrians,” Umakhanov said. “This signal is also addressed to the para-military groups, which have resorted to terrorist and guerilla tactic.”
In this contest, said Umakhanov, “some armed groups have regrettably resorted to armed attacks.”