Russia will not back down from its position on the crisis in Syria,says Russian FM

The Syrian government does not intend, and has never planned, to use chemical weapons against terrorist groups, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said, addressing rumors the that the Syrian government is preparing to use its chemical weapons arsenal.

­The biggest threat surrounding Syria’s chemical weapons is their “probable acquisition by terrorist groups,” Lavrov said.

 “According to our information, and this information we pass to our US colleagues, and European colleagues, the Syrian government does not have such intentions and cannot have, because this is all very serious,” the minister said on Sunday,according to Russia Today.

Russia took seriously the rumors surrounding Syria’s chemical weapons and sought clarity from the Syrian government, and is passing on this information to other nations, Lavrov explained.

“It is not the first time when reports, that can be called rumors or leak, suggesting Syrian government moves reserves of chemical weapon from places where it is being storage to different locations and prepares to use it, emerge,” he said.

Lavrov’s statement came in response to recent allegations from the US Pentagon and State Department that Syria is preparing to use chemical weapons. The rumors were quickly disseminated in Western media.

­On Sunday, Russia agreed to take part in resumed talks in Geneva on the crisis in  Syria with US diplomats and UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. However, Moscow refused to negotiate “on the fate of Syrian leadership.”

Lavrov said the US was wrong to see Moscow as softening its position, adding that Russia will not back down from its position on the crisis in Syria.

“All attempts to portray things differently are unscrupulous, even for diplomats of those countries which are known to try to distort the facts in their favor,” Lavrov said.

M.D