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Lavrov to chair Security Council’s meeting on fighting terrorism

Moscow says terrorists should not be divided into good and bad, the topic should not be politicised, stressing security is what matters

UN, September 30. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will have a "Middle East Day" on Wednesday. Besides the non-stop meetings, he will participate in several key events of the General Assembly.

No resolution to follow

Sergei Lavrov in the framework of Russia’s chairing the Security Council will organised a ministerial meeting Maintenance of international peace and security: settlement of conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa and fighting terrorist threat. Moscow hopes for a wide active participation of all UN member states in the open debates.

Russia has been calling on the international community for quite a time to begin coordinated actions in fighting terrorism, but reiterates any steps should comply with the United Nation’s Charter.

In other words, everything complying with the international law should be supported, and everything contradicting it should be rejected.

The Russian side hopes for joint work on fighting the phenomenon of foreign terrorists, on breaking the extremists’ sources from the linkage between terrorism and various criminal businesses, including trade of drugs, natural resources and cultural heritage objects.

No resolution will be issues as the U.S. has refused to work on the document. "The resolution was blocked. The U.S. said they would not be working on our resolution," Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin told TASS earlier without giving reasons the U.S. side had named. "I would rather not tell you everything. They said we have too many disagreements," he added.

Moscow says terrorists should not be divided into good and bad, the topic should not be politicised, stressing security is what matters.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in a speech at the General Assembly suggested discussing a joint resolution on coordination of forces fighting the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations. "We hope the international community will be able to offer an overwhelming strategy for political stabilisation and the social and economic restoration of the Middle East. In that case no refugee camps will be of demand," he said.

Quartet: expanding for progress

Another important event will be a meeting of the Quartet of international mediators on the Middle East. The situation aggravates from time to time, for example, around the Temple Mount, and resuming Palestine-Israel direct talks is out question as yet.

Due to the long absence of progress in the settlement "it is necessary to find mutually acceptable solutions of the problem, and the Quartet’s ministerial meeting is of high demand," the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier.

Russia also suggests expanding the Quartet by inviting countries of the region, by involving the Arab League to make the mechanism more effective.

"Synchronising watch" with Damascus

On the sidelines of the General Assembly Lavrov will have a meeting with Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem - the Russian minister has regular contacts with the Syrian counterpart, whose recent visit to Moscow was in June.

Russia has been working simultaneously on fighting terrorism in Syria and on a political settlement. Under earlier contracts, Russia has been supplying weapons, and Russian specialists are training the Syrian military. In full compliance with the strict Russian legislation on export of military equipment, there are no doubts Damascus is using the equipment exlusively for fighting terrorism.

Moscow invites other countries to join the coordinating centre in Bagdad, which features Russia, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

"We have information on how the terror threat is developing at a certain moment," Sergei Lavrov said. "The counterparts in Iraq, Syria, Iran are also watching the process closely, thus an exchange of information using this coordinating, information centre is a normal practice."

Meanwhile, western countreis, despite the last week’s milder rhetoric about Bashar Assad, speaking at the General Assembly, most likely sharing "solidarity," keep insisting Assad should resign. Some threaten him with an international court, saying at the same time about necessary fighting both against the regime and the Islamic State (IS), and claiming "without Assad there will not be IS."

Lavrov stressed in that case the only possible alternative would be the IS caliphate.

"We cannot allow Syria as a state collapses," he said.

Support of Lebanon

On Wednesday, the Russian foreign minister will also speak at a meeting of the international group supporting Lebanon. Russia wants to see united and sovereign Lebanon with working state authorities.

"The lack of republic’s president and the actual paralysis of the country’s parliament under the conditions of a permanent terrorist threat clearly affect abilities of the state authorities, including the armed forces," spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said. "Russia wants to see united, stable and sovereign Lebanon with working state institutions.".