Russia says opposed to Western military intervention in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Wed Jun 12, 2013 1:32AM GMT
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is strongly opposed to Western military intervention in Syria.
In an interview with Russia’s English-language television network RT on Tuesday, Putin said that his government's policy on Syria is aimed at ensuring harmony among the country's different ethnic groups.
“Syria as a country was rife for some kind of change. And the government of Syria should have felt that in due time and should have undertaken some reform,” he stated.
Putin warned against Western military interference in Syria, saying, "From the outside some people think that if you bring the entire (Middle East) region in compliance with someone’s specific idea of democracy, things will settle down, and everything will be all right in that region. But that’s not true. Considering that region’s background history, culture, religion - you cannot interfere with it from the outside.”
He said that certain Western states are supporting some groups in Syria, and they are fighting similar groups in Mali.
Earlier in the day, France, which launched a war in the West African country of Mali in January this year, said it is considering arming militants in Syria after the Syrian government forces managed to recapture the strategic western city of Qusayr following weeks of heavy clashes with foreign-backed militants.
"With the fall of Qusayr, we are seeing a dramatic development," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Laillot.
He added, "It's even more worrying given that Aleppo is being announced as the next target” of the Syrian government.
“There are consequences to be drawn from what happened in Qusayr and what's happening in Aleppo. The first consequence is to strengthen the ties with the coalition, and the question we’re asked is whether to go one step further and deliver weapons,” he stated.
"We cannot leave the opposition in the situation in which it finds itself," Laillot stressed.
On June 5, Syrian troops established control over Qusayr. Syrian troops were backed by forces from the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah during the Qusayr operation.
The Syrian Army is now in control of most of the towns and villages near the border with Lebanon.
There have been reports of heavy clashes between government forces and militants in Aleppo, Lattakia, Idlib, Deir Ezzor and several Damascus suburbs.
The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of government forces, have been killed.
Damascus says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
The Syrian government says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.
In addition, several international human rights organizations say the militants operating in Syria have committed war crimes.
GJH/AS