MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. The calls by ex-CIA Director Michael Morell ‘to covertly kill’ Russians and Iranians in Syria, which he made in early August in an interview with a US TV Channel are unacceptable and unhealthy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"The talk is about August 2016, not about medieval ages or ancient times. We today hear and see this picture on central Western TV channels," Zakharova said.
"Needless to say this is an inhuman statement. This is obvious: it is not so much inhuman as it is in the style of the ISIL [the former name of the Islamic State terrorist organization outlawed in Russia]. They [IS terrorists] speak this way," the Russian diplomat said.
"Morell’s statement has shocked not only the Russian side but also US State Department representatives who distanced themselves from his words," Zakharova said.
- General Staff: It is Russian patience, not US’, that is waning over Syria
- Lavrov: US cannot in fact break Syrian opposition from terrorists
- Diplomat: US unwilling to work on equality basis in dialogue with Russia on Syria
- Lawmaker: US aims to destabilize situation in Syria in order to change regime there
- Air Force Chief: US unlikely to deliver joint air strikes with Russia in Syria
"We believe that this pronouncement is a private and unhealthy opinion of the former CIA employee. Unfortunately, such statements, considering that these are after all the people who have some weight in the establishment, devalue the progress, which the US and the Russian sides have been able to achieve in the elaboration of a joint approach to the Syria settlement," the Russian diplomat said.
"And you know that this work is under way and it has now entered into a momentous phase," the Russian diplomat said.
"We consider as absolutely unacceptable such statements made both by incumbent and retired state officials of any country," the Russian diplomat said.