Lavrov pointed out that the UN Security Council "is attempting to pass a resolution declaring a 30-day humanitarian pause should be established immediately."
"At the same time, there is no answer to the question ‘Where is the guarantee that militants will hold that humanitarian pause and that they will not shell Damascus’ residential areas?’," he said. "There have been no guarantees provided."
"For the resolution to be effective, and we are ready to negotiate such a text, we have put forward a principle that will enable the ceasefire to become real and based on guarantees of all those inside Eastern Ghouta and beyond Eastern Ghouta," he added.
The Russian foreign minister pointed out that the guarantees "should be substantiated by external players’ assurances and first of all by those who have an influence on extremist groups holed up in that area outside Damascus."
"Therefore, unless Americans and their allies are driven by a desire to cloud the atmosphere and create additional excuses to push their idea of ousting the regime in Syria, but if they are driven by concern over the humanitarian situation in Eastern Ghouta, there is every opportunity for the agreement to be achieved," Lavrov added.
"Nevertheless, they are still refusing to take the amendment which shoulders on them the responsibility for getting clearly-defined assurances from militants that shelling will stop," he said.
[tass.com]
23/2/18
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has called on Russia and Iran to stop the Syrian government’s attacks in Eastern Ghouta.
ReplyDelete“Air raids on Ghouta are unacceptable. Russia and Iran should stop the regime,” Çavuşoğlu said, while responding to journalists’ questions in Ankara on Feb. 23.
European Council President Donald Tusk said Friday that Russia and Iran are allowing the Assad regime’s brutality across war-torn Syria.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to reporters following an informal meeting of EU leaders in Brussels, Tusk said: “The Assad regime is brutally attacking innocent men, women and children. Its backers, Russia and Iran, are allowing this to happen.”
“We urge them to stop this violence. The EU calls for an immediate cease-fire, and for providing urgent humanitarian access to, and protection of civilians,” he added.