Latest Breaking News

maddezmom

(135,060 posts) Mon Jan 23, 2012, 02:54 PM Jan 2012

Russia's support "arsenal" for Assad exhausted: Kremlin

(Reuters) - Moscow can do no more for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a top Kremlin aide said on Monday, opening the way to a shift in Russia's position after 10 months of bloodshed.

Russia has resisted pressure to call for Assad's resignation and, with China, blocked a Western-crafted U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned a crackdown that has killed thousands of Syrians.

But Mikhail Margelov, a senior lawmaker who is President Dmitry Medvedev's special Africa envoy and has engaged in diplomacy over Syria, said Russia's diplomatic 'arsenal' was now exhausted.

&quot Our) veto on the U.N. Security Council resolution was the last instrument allowing Bashar al-Assad to maintain the status quo in the international arena," Margelov was quoted as saying by the state-run Itar-Tass news agency.

more:http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/us-syria-russia-idUSTRE80M1OX20120123

2 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Russia's support "arsenal" for Assad exhausted: Kremlin (Original Post) maddezmom Jan 2012 OP

"...reforms, an end to violence, free elections. This is what the Syrian leadership should do pampango Jan 2012 #1

This is a major move. I really wonder what the trigger was for this stand down... a HUGE K and R! nt riderinthestorm Jan 2012 #2

pampango

(24,692 posts)

1. "...reforms, an end to violence, free elections. This is what the Syrian leadership should do

Reply to maddezmom (Original post)

Mon Jan 23, 2012, 03:06 PM

Jan 2012

immediately, today," he said.

From the OP:

Analysts say Russia will hold out as long as possible before any climbdown on Syria, which it has used to emphasize its opposition to interference. ... "The Russian leadership is disappointed by the deadlock in Syria. We don't see any way out of the turmoil," said independent analyst Yevgeny Volk.

"Russia's position will remain ambiguous, (but) ... Russia is moving towards recognizing that Assad is not the person to rule Syria and that Syria needs some change, but Russia needs some guarantee its interests will be respected."

Apart from representing hundreds of millions of dollars in arms sales, Syria also hosts a Russian naval maintenance facility on its Mediterranean coast.

Since this statement comes on the same day that Russia announced the sale of jet fighters to Syria, it is hard to see this as a firm new policy for Russia. It may just be a "trial balloon" to put more pressure on Assad.

riderinthestorm

(23,272 posts)

2. This is a major move. I really wonder what the trigger was for this stand down... a HUGE K and R! nt

Reply to maddezmom (Original post)

Mon Jan 23, 2012, 03:07 PM

Jan 2012

Reply to this discussion