Russia severely criticized the "Friends of Syria" group and considered that the results of its last meeting in London an attempt to reconsider the outcomes of Geneva I and to and to anticipate those of Geneva II.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement in which it severely criticized the "Friends of Syria" group and considered that the results of its last meeting in London an attempt to reconsider the outcomes of Geneva I and to anticipate those of Geneva II.
Final document of Friends of Syria meeting contains "poorly hidden threat" to return to military scenario, which is unacceptable, says Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich in his statement.
“We looked at the results of a meeting in London of eleven countries, the so-called “nucleus” of the so-called “nucleus” of the Friends of Syria group, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, and the Syrian National Coalition led by Ahmad Jabra,” Lukashevich says.
He sees the final document passed at the meeting as “an attempt to revise the key elements of the Geneva Communique.”
“Before the London meeting, we had been assured that discussion would not overstep the framework of the Geneva Communique, yet it went far beyond the frames of both the above communique and the May 7 Russian-American initiative to convene an international conference on Syria,” the spokesperson states.
According to the statement, the document "was apparently conceived as an attempt to predetermine the results of Geneva-2 that are supposed to be coordinated in an entirely new format – through political dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition to enable them to achieve mutual consent on their country’s future."
It "calls for regime change Syria, proclaims the Syrian National Coalition as the only legitimate representative of the Syrian people and threatens to use 'all options' to influence violators of the 'London decisions'," Lukashevich says.
"This is a poorly hidden threat to return to the use of military force, which is absolutely unacceptable," he underlines.
The spokesperson says that there is an impression that the document “aims to disrupt Geneva-2 by shifting attention from the opposition to the Syrian authorities.”
Commenting on the Syrian National Coalition’s participation in the negotiation process, Lukashevich says that “the parameters of this participation should be proportionate to its influence in the Syrian society and its role not just abroad but also inside Syria.”
“It is groundless to say that the “coalition” is the “sole legitimate representative” of not only the Syrian people but even of the entire opposition.”
The spokesperson adds that “all questions related to the Syrian settlement should be the subject of talks between the government and the broad and representative opposition.”
The “London document” was passed while Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is touring the region to discuss preparations for Geneva-2 with all Syrian parties in compliance with the Russian-American initiative.
Russia regards it as "an attempt to put pressure on him and preempt the outcome of his diplomatic efforts."
Moscow is ready to pursue the work “to settle the crisis in Syria on the basis of the Geneva Communique and the earlier reached understandings, including between Russia and the United States and through the participation of other permanent members of the Security Council and the UN Secretary General, in regard to steps needed to convene an international conference.”
"We will stick to that premise during preliminary meetings in Geneva on November 5-6. It should also be noted that outside players can only help bring the conflicting parties to the negotiating table and solve organizing matters, while the essential problems of the Syrian settlement can only be overcome by the Syrian themselves through mutual consent and without recipes imposed from the outside," Lukashevich concludes.
