Lavrov: Severing AL Relations with Syria Was Mistake

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that using force will not lead to solving the crisis in Syria as the necessity of “solving it” through dialogue has become more recognized.

Russia Today Website quoted Lavrov as saying “with regard to the conflict in Syria, we can conclude that betting on settling it through force by any side wouldn’t lead to the hoped-for result.”
Lavrov’s remarks came during the Russian-Arab Forum which started its activities on Wednesday in Moscow.
Lavrov stressed that Russia rejects preconditions for dialogue, adding that the time and place of the meeting should be determined by the Syrians themselves.
“Severing the relations of the Arab League with Syria was a mistake… Ceasing the mission of the Arab observers was incorrect,” he highlighted.
He noted that recognizing the importance of starting dialogue between the government and the opposition has become greater, adding that his country doesn’t only support it, but” it also helps creating the suitable circumstances on the basis of the agreements agreed on in Geneva which are suggested by UN Envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi “.
He commented on what is taking place in the Middle East by saying that Moscow is not satisfied with the events in this region “the developments there are accompanied by a lot of things which increase our and your concern..what we mean here is the armed conflicts in the region and the increase in the extremism and the spread of weapons without supervision.”
Lavrov added ” We think that the Arab League is invited to play a main role in settling the conflicts erupted in the Arab countries through the comprehensive national dialogue with the participation of all the political forces in a way that would guarantee the rights of all the sects and the minorities along with rejecting any foreign interference without a clear mandate from the United Nations Security Council”.
Regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, Lavrov reiterated the importance of unifying the efforts of the international Quartet and the Arab League.