Russia slates ‘ Friends’ over support for rebels
Moscow – Russia accused Western and Gulf Arab countries that oppose Syria’s president of being ‘‘ destructive’’ today after they agreed to increase support for Bashar Assad’s opponents.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said that the ‘‘ Friends of Syria’’ countries meeting in London had agreed to increase support for moderate elements of the Syrian opposition.
‘‘ Unlike some of our Western partners, meeting in London, we work with all Syrian sides, not just with one as if supporting it against the other,’’ Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. ‘‘ To us, that approach is prejudiced destructive.’’
Veto- wielding permanent United Nations Security Council member Russia has given Assad crucial support during the three- year- old conflict in Syria, blocking Western and Arab efforts to push him from power.
Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State John Kerry says he has seen ‘‘ raw data’’ that suggests chlorine gas has been used in the Syrian conflict, supporting
and accusations made by France against the regime. ‘‘ I have seen evidence . . . it’s not verified yet . . . hasn’t been confirmed,’’ he said after a meeting of the Friends of Syria group in London.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday that the regime is believed to have used chemical weapons, including chlorine, in 14 attacks since October last year.
Syria signed the Chemical Weapons Convention last year as part of a deal to surrender its chemical weapons arsenal after it was accused of a sarin attack in the suburbs of Damascus.
Possessing chlorine is not a violation of the convention, but the treaty prevents the use of the gas as a weapon.
Human Rights Watch, the New York- based watchdog, also said this week that the evidence ‘‘ strongly suggests’’ Syria’s government used chlorine gas on three towns in midApril.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons watchdog said last month it would look into the attacks and has dispatched a team to carry out investigations on the ground in Syria.