Belfast Telegraph

Monday 29 December 2014

Russia slams West's stance on Syria

Russia says the West is 'openly instigating' armed opposition to Syria's President Bashar Assad


Moscow has been Syria's key ally throughout the 17-month uprising which has evolved into a full-blown civil war, shielding Mr Assad's regime from international sanctions and providing it with weapons despite an international outcry.



Russia and China, both veto-wielding UN Security Council members, have blocked proposals to call on Mr Assad to step down. Russia insists its opposition to sanctions is driven not by support for Mr Assad himself but by a respect for international law that forbids foreign military intervention in internal conflicts without UN Security Council authorisation.

Russia has called for talks between the Syrian regime and its foes. It staunchly opposes any plans that would demand Assad's ousting, saying that only the Syrian people can decide the country's fate.

In New York, UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council that the United Nations views the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria "with growing alarm". He said about 2.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance while the number of displaced people in Syria and the flow of refugees to neighbouring countries is growing.

UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, who visited Syria last week, told a news conference at UN headquarters that UN agencies last month provided food for more than 820,000 people across Syria.


Mr Feltman and Baroness Amos appealed for additional funds to meet the humanitarian needs of Syrians still in the country and the refugees.

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