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Russian Foreign Ministry: US prompts Syrian opposition to show uncompromising attitude in political dialog

Alexander Lukashevich: “We urge our U.S. partners and all members of the world community to show common sense and observe strictly the international law"
Photo ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuev
Photo ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuev

MOSCOW, August 27 (Itar-Tass) - The United States prompts the Syrian opposition to show an uncompromising attitude in the negotiations, waiting for a forcible foreign interference in the country, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich said on Tuesday in comments on the U.S. decision to delay a meeting between Russian and U.S. experts in The Hague over the convening of an international conference on Syria.

“We are convinced that in the current dramatic situation around Syria, which is artificially exacerbated by a number of countries, coordinated actions of Russia and the United States, as well as the entire international community for a peaceful way out of the crisis, assumes an ever greater importance,” spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“The attempts to bypass the U.N. Security Council and to create once again artificial, groundless pretexts for an armed intervention in the region are fraught with new sufferings in Syria and catastrophic consequences for other countries in the Middle East and North Africa,” Lukashevich stated.

“We urge our U.S. partners and all members of the world community to show common sense and observe strictly the international law, primarily the fundamental principles of the U.N. Charter,” he added.

Russia regrets the decision taken by the US upon the meeting, as stated by Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov in Twitter. "It is desolating that our partners decided to cancel the bilateral Russia-US meeting for discussing the convocation of an international conference on Syria," he noted. "Drawing up of parameters of peaceful settlement in Syria could be very useful right now, when this country is under threat of a coercive intervention."

Meeting of Russian and U.S. representatives on Syria that was initially due to take place in The Hague Wednesday, August 28, has been put off, the Department of State said in a report issued  Monday night.

The note said that, considering the continued consultations on elaborating an appropriate response to the attacks in Syria, which involved chemical weapons, a decision has been taken to postpone the meeting. At this meeting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Ambassador Robert Ford were to meet with the Russian delegation.

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