Nezavisimaya Gazeta
Moscow Could Take Blame for Adverse Developments in Syria
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Director Mikhail Fradkov visited Damascus yesterday to help stabilize the situation in Syria through democratic reforms.
Thousands welcomed them, waving national and Russian flags, applauding and chanting, “Thank you, Russia!”
Tuesday’s visit by high-ranking Russian officials indicated that Moscow, which voted against the UN Security Council resolution on Syria, is trying to find a political solution.
Lavrov said Russia had asked the Security Council not to vote on its Syria resolution until they talked with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but that the pro-resolution countries refused to wait. They proceeded to vote on a document with no consideration for Russia’s request, possibly hoping to use Russia as a scapegoat if the situation worsens.
Armed with a letter from President Medvedev, Lavrov and Fradkov met with al-Assad. The meeting lasted approximately three hours. According to ITAR-Tass, Lavrov said: “It is in our interests to have peace and accord among Arab nations. …Each leader must be aware of his responsibility.”
Bashar al-Assad replied: “Russia’s stance has been crucial in saving my homeland. Russia and Syria are old friends, but Syria never wanted to be a burden to its friends. Syria wants to be a friend in need.”
Lavrov said after the talks that President al-Assad is committed to stopping the violence by all sides and that “the visit to Damascus … was timely and useful.”
Al-Assad accepted Russia’s proposal to increase the number of Arab League observers. Lavrov said the Syrian president planed to announce a referendum on a new constitution soon.
Experts do not think the resignation of al-Assad was discussed, especially since it would likely intensify the chaos. “Al-Assad’s overthrow would only bring Islamic radicals to power, split the country and lead to a massacre of Shias and Christians,” said Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the Institute of the Middle East.
According to the Syrian newspaper Al-Watan, Lavrov and Fradkov may have discussed “methods for resisting the Western and Arab countries’ possible actions against Syria.”
China has supported Russia’s effort at a political solution. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said China could also send a delegation to Syria to discuss a political settlement.
“Moscow is supported by Iran, which is also facing international isolation, and possibly by Shia-led Iraq,” said Georgy Mirsky, senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO). “Other countries will try to blame Russia if developments in Syria become more dramatic while Moscow refuses to concede to the West.”
Meanwhile, Britain and France have recalled their ambassadors for consultation. The United States has closed its embassy in Damascus, allegedly due to deteriorating security, but many observers see this as the end of a long relationship. Over the past year, Washington’s view of al-Assad has changed from a pro-democracy leader to a ruthless dictator. Barack Obama said that they “continue to see unacceptable levels of violence” in Syria and that al-Assad should “step aside.”
Vedomosti
Medvedev to Meet With Leaders of Unregistered Opposition Parties
Unlike Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, outgoing president Dmitry Medvedev, is ready to start a dialogue with the opposition, including recent protesters in Bolotnaya Square.
The president will meet with politicians who have tried and failed to register their own political parties, one of the invited activists said. A Kremlin official confirmed that the meeting on February 20 will be attended by the leaders of five to seven unregistered parties.
Officially, they are meeting to discuss two bills sponsored by the president aimed at simplifying the registration of new parties and abolishing signature collection requirements. Medvedev wants to reaffirm his commitment to liberalizing the political system.
More than 15 political parties have been denied registration or have been deregistered since the rules were tightened in 2005.
A source close to the Kremlin said opposition leaders Boris Nemtsov and Sergei Udaltsov are unlikely to be invited and Eduard Limonov definitely won’t.
Limonov’s Other Russia party was banned because of extremist activities, not just deregistered. And if Udaltsov, Nemtsov and Vladimir Ryzhkov, the leaders of the recent Moscow rallies, are invited, this would mark the start of a dialogue with the protesters, a federal official said. Until recently, these leaders have been inconsistent in their demands: while calling for Vladimir Putin’s resignation, they also condemned him for his reluctance to negotiate with them. They have not appointed negotiators or submitted their demands to the government or the president, he added.
After a pro-government gathering demonstrated its ability to rally more supporters than the opposition, the Kremlin advised the opposition to stop provoking unrest and begin campaigning in a legitimate manner.
Nemtsov said he has not been invited yet, and his decision will depend on the format of the proposed meeting. He also expressed doubt about the ability of the lame duck president to guarantee that his successor will honor any agreements reached. He said the participants in the Bolotnaya rally will soon appoint negotiators through online voting.
Ryzhkov, who has not been invited yet either, said he will definitely meet with Medvedev, as guarantor of the Constitution, to complain about drastic violations of constitutional rights.
Konstantin Babkin, a shareholder of equipment maker Rostselmash and one of the Bolotnaya activists, confirmed that he was invited but he was not “euphoric” about it. “We could be in for just another monologue,” he said. In his opinion, the government should focus on economic policy, because new price rises may provoke new protests in the fall.
Sergei Baburin, who confirmed his invitation to the Kremlin, supports Medvedev’s initiative to cut the required number of party members to 500 from 45,000. Udaltsov, also not yet invited, said this figure is too low and would generate a large number of weak parties, only underpinning the ruling party’s monopoly.
The president will also meet with registered parties. Yabloko leader Sergei Mitrokhin said this will not be a dialogue with the opposition, because pro-government parties are invited too. But he will attend anyway to discuss election fraud.
RIA Novosti is not responsible for the content of outside sources.
