Lavrov, Al-Moallem Urge Political Solution for Syria Crisis: US Strike to Outburst Terrorism in ME

Local Editor

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed Monday that "more states share Russia's belief that military action in Syria will only enable terrorism."

Speaking at a press conference along with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem, Lavrov highlighted that Moscow fully supports calls by the UN Security Council to bring chemical experts back to Syria to complete their mission.
"UN inspectors should return to Syria to investigate the alleged use of chemical arms," he said, and pointed out that his country is keen on adhering to international agreements.

He further called for an investigation to be carried out over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria in a professional and objective manner. "The findings of the investigation should then be referred to the UN Security Council."

In parallel, Lavrov warned that "strikes on Syria would cause the outburst of terrorism in the region."
"We are very concerned with the future of the Middle East," the head of Moscow's diplomacy mentioned , and emphasized that Damascus has reacted positively to Moscow's urging for the opposition and the government to unite their efforts in expelling terrorists from Syria.

Moreover, the Russian FM added: "Both countries are certain that a political settlement is still possible, although the situation is very serious."
Lavrov also stressed that "there is more than enough evidence to support the claim that the rebels are behind the chemical attack."
"We plan to ask the Syrian opposition to agree clearly on "Geneva 2" conference without preconditions," he declared, as he urged the US to concentrate on the political solutions to Syria crisis instead of setting war scenarios
For his part, the Syrian FM questioned the real intentions behind the US strike on Syria: "We ask about the motivation of US to launch a strike against us."

Meanwhile, he suspected that the US strike aims at attacking the Syrian army in favor of al-Qaeda and its extremists, particularly al-Nusra Front.
"There is testimony of a Mother Agnes - a mother Superior at a monastery in Syria, suggesting that the whole affair with the chemical weapons was a staged frame-up operation," al-Moallem clarified.

However, he emphasized that "diplomatic efforts have not been exhausted."
Al-Moallem expressed his admiration with a large portion of the American public for voicing their outright disagreement with the proposed strike.
"A president who seeks peace is more powerful than one who seeks war," he said, wondering: "How will Obama justify empowering al-Qaeda, especially we are close to the anniversary of the September 11 attacks?"

On the Russian position, al-Moallem praised the Russian administration for doing everything in its power to "prevent an act of aggression."
He added that the Syrian side "holds in high regard the unflinching position of Russia's President Vladimir Putin."
He also stated that the impending foreign intervention will first and foremost affect the peaceful Syrian population. "As history shows, the first victims in any military conflict are women and children", the FM said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team