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Russia warns West on Syria

MOSCOW: Russia has warned the West against repeating the “Libya scenario” in Syria and accused the NATO of overstepping the United Nations mandate for Libya.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was “very worried” that the process of reconciliation in Syria “is being slowed down by a desire of some participants to draw in foreign forces to support their actions”.

“Their calculation is that outside players will pay attention and will not only discuss the problem but also move on to repeat the Libyan situation [and] interfere, resorting, among other things, to force,” Mr. Lavrov said.

“We do not want the Libya scenario to be repeated,” Mr. Lavrov told Russian journalists in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Friday.

“Efforts to multiply the Libyan experience in other countries and regions are very dangerous, whether it is Yemen, Syria or Bahrain,” the Russian Foreign Minister said. Mr. Lavrov called “unacceptable” many actions of the Western coalition in Libya.

“There are too many violations of the U.N. Security Council resolution,” he said citing the bombing of civilian buildings, hospitals and even embassies.

Cooperation

In an interview on Thursday, Mr. Lavrov said the West “abused” Russia's willingness to cooperation on Libya. Moscow refrained from vetoing the U.N. resolution that authorised the enforcement of a no-fly zone in that country.

Mr. Lavrov called for returning the situation in Libya “into a political channel as swiftly as possible.”

“It is necessary to use the services of the U.N. Secretary-General's special envoy and the mediation proposals of the African Union in order to sit down and seek agreement without any conditions,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.

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