9-Feb-2012 - Russian Envoy Calls Syria Visit ‘Very Productive’

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Russia, along with China, vetoed an Arab League-backed resolution at the United Nations Security Council on Saturday that called on President Bashar al-Assad to delegate some powers as part of a plan to defuse the crisis, which is increasingly resembling a civil war. Rebuffing harsh criticism from the resolution’s sponsors and Western critics of Mr. Assad, the Russians insisted that the resolution amounted to Authentic nfl jerseys outside interference in Syria’s affairs. At the same time, sensitive to the perception that Russia, Mr. Assad’s strongest foreign backer, had given him a green light to violently crush his political opponents, the Kremlin sent its foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, and Mikhail Fradkov, the head of Moscow’s foreign intelligence service, to Syria on Tuesday. The Russians said they had a proposal that could end the crisis but declined to divulge its substance. With the collapse of diplomatic efforts at the Security Council, the Russian overture, however tepid, appeared to be one of the last avenues of engagement left. Turkey’s prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said his country would seek to draft a new initiative, but few details were forthcoming. “We have had a very productive visit with the leadership of Syria,” Mr. Lavrov said after his meeting with Mr. Assad, according to Russia’s Ria Novosti news service. “We have confirmed our preparedness to facilitate a rapid end to the crisis based on the positions set out in the Arab League initiative. In particular, the president of Syria gave assurance that he is fully committed to an end to violence, no matter its source.” Mr. Lavrov also said that Mr. Assad was prepared to hold talks with representatives of Syria’s opposition, which is still deeply divided. “It is clear that efforts for ending the violence should be accompanied by dialogue between political forces,” he said. “Today we received confirmation from the president of Syria that he is prepared to cooperate in this effort.” Further details of the discussion were not disclosed, and it remained unclear whether Russia possessed the diplomatic clout to significantly influence the situation on the ground. Because of Moscow’s vocal support for Mr. Assad’s government, the Russians have been unable to gain the trust of Syria’s opposition. But it is equally uncertain whether Russian diplomatic efforts are sufficient to push Mr. Assad to a compromise, considering his repeated assertions kids nfl jerseys that he is battling terrorism, not a popular uprising. “There is the appearance of action, but there is nothing more they can do,” said Aleksandr I. Shumilin, director of the Center of the Analysis of Middle East Conflicts in Moscow. “After the scandal at the Security Council, Moscow needed to find some way to act,” he said. “Maybe something good will come of this, but at the very least they will be able to say that Russia is acting and not sitting idly.” There was no immediate comment on the meeting from Mr. Assad or from the voices of opposition in Syria, who have already made clear they do not trust the government and want Mr. Assad to step down. Western diplomats were skeptical of Russia’s ability to extract any meaningful compromise from the Syrian leadership. The prevailing view among them was that the Russians believe Mr. Assad can prevail over his enemies — a view apparently still held by the upper echelons of the Syrian government. “The nike nfl jerseys Russians have made a bet, and I don’t know if they’re right or not,” a Western diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The Russian bet is that the Syrian government and its security forces are going to remain cohesive and are going to ultimately win on security grounds. The street will be beat into submission.”

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