Russia Accuses US of Double Standards over Syria

Local Editor

Russia accused the United States on Friday of having double standards over the crisis in Syria, saying it had blocked a UN Security Council statement condemning a car bomb attack in Damascus.

The car bomb killed 53 people on Thursday on a busy highway close to the Russian Embassy and offices of the ruling Baath Party in the Syrian capital.
Criticizing Washington's position, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters: "We believe this is double standards."

"We believe this is double standards and see in it a very dangerous tendency by our American colleagues to depart from the fundamental principle of unconditional condemnation of any terrorist act, a principle which secures the unity of the international community in the fight against terrorism," he viewed.

In parallel, he blamed, in a joint news conference after talks with China's foreign minister, Washington for blocking a UN Security Council statement condemning Thursday's car bomb attack.
The head of Moscow's diplomacy also reiterated that "both Russia and China have united positions, and promote these united positions in negotiations, on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, including the Syrian crisis, Afghanistan, the Iranian nuclear program and other crises."

"On all these cases, we and our Chinese friends are led by one and the same principle - the necessity to observe international law, respect UN procedures and not allow interference from outside in domestic conflicts and all the more the use of force," added Lavrov.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org