Zakharova: ‘West Evades Condemning Terrorist Attacks in Syria’

MOSCOW-The behavior of Moscow’s Western partners regarding the situation in Syria raises eyebrows, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

 Russia’s Western partners in the UN Security Council are constantly evading condemning terrorist attacks in Syria, Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday, according to Sputnik.

“Our Western partners in the UN Security Council, allegedly seeking to fight terrorism, as they regularly claim, act in a way that is beyond logic and common sense. They are evading, under various pretexts, condemning terrorist attacks in Syria,” Zakharova said.

She stressed that such behavior was reflecting the position of West toward Syria and its people.

 Third Parties Pushed “Armed Syrian Opposition” to Boycott Astana Talks

About the armed Syrian opposition’s boycotting of Astana talks on Syria, the Russian diplomat said those who pushed the Syrian armed opposition to boycott the Astana talks probably wanted to undermine the reconciliation process.

The Syrian opposition’s refusal to attend the Astana-3 talks was a failed attempt to deal a blow to the Astana and Geneva processes,  she clarified.

“Perhaps those who pushed the Syrian armed opposition to boycott the event — we have no doubt that this decision was motivated from outside — just wanted to deal a blow to the Astana and, of course, in connection with it, the Geneva negotiating process. We are satisfied that they failed, and note the effective and coordinated work carried out in this connection by partners in the Astana format,” Zakharova said.

Representatives of the Syrian armed opposition have said that their delegation will not attend Astana talks.

Zakharova said the Syrian opposition’s refusal to participate in the Astana talks on Syria meant unwillingness to solve problems and added that the Syrian armed opposition delegation’s justifications over non-attendance of the Astana meeting were unconvincing and unacceptable.

H.M