Lavrov: US Must Stop Looting Syria’s Natural Resources, Fight Terrorists Instead

By Staff, Agencies

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia does not believe the Wahhabi Daesh [Arabic acronym for “ISIS” / “ISIL”] threats in Syria and Iraq have grown significantly, calling on the United States to end its plunder of Syria's natural resources and fight terrorists instead.

“As for threats from Daesh, I do not think that they have grown seriously in Iraq or in Syria. Both countries have prevented the realization and implementation of caliphate plans designed by Daesh terrorist group,” Lavrov told a news conference on Friday.

“We firmly support the government of Iraq in its efforts to wipe out the remaining pockets of terrorists. We can say the same about Syria,” he added.

Lavrov stressed that Russia is legally providing support to Syrians, while some countries are occupying Syria on the pretext of fighting terrorism.

Former US president Donald Trump admitted on more than one occasion that American forces were in Syria for its oil.

After failing to oust the Syrian government through proxies and direct involvement in the conflict, the US government has stepped up its economic war on the Arab country.

Last June, the US enacted the so-called Caesar Act that imposed the toughest sanctions ever on Syria with the alleged aim of choking off revenue sources for the government.

The sanctions, however, have crippled the war-torn country’s economy by prohibiting foreign companies from trading with Damascus.

Syria says the real purpose of the measures is to put pressure on Syrians and their livelihoods.

Officials also say the stepped-up smuggling of strategic Syrian resources is the latest inhumane tactic using people's basic needs as a tool to pressure the government.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said members of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham [HTS] terrorist group plan a chemical attack in collaboration with the so-called White Helmets in the northwestern province of Idlib to implicate Damascus.

Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, the deputy head of the ministry's Center for the Reconciliation of Opposing Sides in Syria, told reporters on Friday that the terrorists have transferred several barrels of toxic agents to the city of Harem in preparation for their chemical attack.

“According to our information, militants are planning to stage a false flag chemical attack in the southern part of the Jabal al-Zawiya region to blame Syrian Army forces for the use of chemical weapons against civilians,” he said.

The so-called White Helmets group is known for its coordination with terror outfits in Syria to carry out staged chemical attacks in order to incriminate Syrian Army forces and fabricate pretexts for military strikes by a US-led military coalition present in Syria since 2014.

Washington and its allies blamed Damascus for the Douma attack, an allegation strongly rejected by the Syrian government.