Russia said on Wednesday it would oppose deploying Arab troops and imposing sanctions against Syria.
Russia said on Wednesday it would oppose deploying Arab troops and imposing sanctions against Syria.
"For us, the red line is fairly clearly drawn. We will not support any sanctions", Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters, at an annual briefing outlining Russia's foreign policy views.
He said that Western powers had already introduced measures against Damascus without consulting Russia or China.
Lavrov indicated that Russia would use its UN Security Council veto to block any proposals for military intervention in Syria, following a suggestion by Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to send in Arab troops.
"We will hardly be able to prevent (force) if someone really wants to do something like that. But let that be on their own initiative and rest on their conscience".
"They will not receive any mandate from the UN Security Council", he said.
Lavrov also described the position of Western states over Syria as "one-sided."
On the Iranian issue, Lavrov accused Western powers of trying to "suffocate" the Iranian economy and incite popular discontent with new sanctions such as a proposed oil embargo.
"Additional unilateral sanctions against Iran have nothing to do with a desire to ensure the regime's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation", Lavrov told reporters.
"It is seriously aimed at suffocating the Iranian economy and the well-being of its people, probably in the hope of inciting discontent".
Lavrov noted that Russia had evidence that Iran was ready to cooperate more closely with inspectors from the United Nations IAEA nuclear watchdog and was preparing for "serious talks" with the West.
He also hinted that Europe and the United States were imposing the measures with the specific purpose of torpedoing new rounds of talks.
"Iran is now waiting for an (IAEA) delegation so that it can discuss serious issues. So the sanctions that can now be adopted by the European Union can hardly improve the atmosphere or make the talks productive", said Lavrov.
He stressed that all possible sanctions, that could impact Iran's behavior in the nuclear sphere or its cooperation with the IAEA, have been exhausted.
