Russia supports ‘Geneva 2’, denies Munich meeting

MOSCOW,(ST)_Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, has debated the situation in Syria besides building the Russian armed forces during a meeting with permanent members of the Russian Federation’s Security Council.

SANA quoted Dmitri Peskov, the Russian President’s Spokesman, as saying:”The Russian President discussed, during the meeting, the international agenda and focused on situation in Syria.”

The meeting also dealt with the issue of building the Russian armed forces and security.

‘Geneva 2’ meeting

In a relevant context, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, voiced his country’s support for holding ‘Geneva 2’ meeting to debate implementation of Geneva Communique to resolve the crisis in Syria.

Gennady Gatilov tweeted  that it is important to expand participation in the meeting (Geneva 2) through inviting other countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia as they could play a positive role in bringing about a solution to the crisis in Syria.

Earlier, Gatilov said :”Russia is ready to hold a meeting at any level”, reminding that the two tripartite meetings between Russian and US official and the UN Envoy to Syria, LakhdarBrahimi proposed to hold ‘Geneva 2’meeting to discuss implementation of Geneva communique.

Munich meeting

He also denied reports on a forthcoming four-way meeting due to be held in Munich in Germany between Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, UN Envoy to Syria and Head of the so-called “Doha Coalition” Moaz al-Khatib.

Gatilov stressed that these reports are ‘groundless’, noting that Munich meeting is not in the agenda of Lavrov thus far.

It was reported that the 49th Munich Security conference is to be held today (Friday) and lasts till next Sunday.

Ford ‘misinterprets’ the communique

In other development, Spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexander Lukashevich, criticized the US Ambassador Robert Ford’s misinterpretation of Geneva Communique.

He said: “The US Ambassador Robert Ford intercepts Geneva Communique about bringing about a solution to the crisis in Syria according to his own wishes, to the extant that he completely changed its meaning.

“Ford’s remark reflects dishonest intentions in reading the communique,”Lukashevich said.

Responding to a question about Ford’s remark in a news conference, the spokesman said: ” Russia’s Foreign Ministry sees that this remark is a further evidence that some partners of Russia spare no effort to affect on the Arab public opinion and at first on the Syrian opposition and their supporters to not accept the idea of political solution to the crisis in Syria under Geneva communique.”

He hoped that Ford’s remark do not represent the US government’s stance towards the situation in Syria and the Middle East.

“We do not know if Ford’s remark is made on the same day of appointing a new Secretary of State in the US administration by mere chance. We hope that it’s so and not a new   scheduled remark by the new US Department of State towards Syria,” Lukashevich said.

He asserted that the Geneva communique stipulates dialogue among all parties in Syria without preconditions.

Israel backs mercenaries

Meanwhile, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, Ivan Melnikov said: “the Israeli political forces back the mercenaries and terrorists and the extremist opposition in Syria,” adding that they are providing them with arms and funds.

Melnikov described Israel’s airstrike on the Scientific Research Center in Jamraya in Damascus countryside as a ‘blatant aggression on a sovereign state’

Speaking to SANA reporter in Moscow, Melnikov underscored that the events in Syria are not an internal conflict and turned into a regional one.

“Israel has got used to turn deaf ear to UN resolutions because it is backed by the US.”

Head of the Syria-Russia Friendship Association noted that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arab governments have not slammed the Israeli aggression on Syria.

BasmaQaddour