Russia is ready to send observers to Syria from a team currently based on the Golan Heights, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday at a briefing with Syrian diplomats in Moscow.
“The UN Secretariat has asked Russia, as well as other countries, to send its observers from the contingent on the Golan Heights to a ceasefire observation mission [in Syria],” he said.
“We have given our consent,” he said, addding Russia expects all other countries addressed by the UN “to do likewise, and quickly.”
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem said the ceasefire included in UN envy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria should happen simultaneously with the arrival of UN observers in the country.
Lavrov also criticized Syria for its lack of urgency in implementing the Annan plan, which proposes a ceasefire, ensuring access to humanitarian aid for all citizens, release pf political prisoners, upholding freedom of movement and association, and advancing political process in the country.
Damascus “could be doing more,” to fulfil UN envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan, Lavrov said.
“I and (Syrian Foreign) Minister Mualem discussed in detail the situation around the implementation of this plan," he said.
"We noted that the Syrian leadership has confirmed its adherence to the commitments it has undertaken and provided us with information on when it will begin implementing the plan's provisions concerning the army,” Lavrov said.
“Frankly speaking, we gave our assessment of the situation to our Syrian colleagues,” he said. “We think that they could be taking more action and being more decisive in the way they carry out the plan’s provisions,” he said.
The plan was backed by UN’s Security Council and, unexpectedly, by Damascus, which is set to withdraw troops from major Syrian cities by April 10. Some 9,000 people were killed in clashes between the government and the opposition in Syria since March 2011, according to UN estimates.
Lavrov stressed Moscow will not turn a blind eye to “the well-known fact that Kofi Annan’s proposals were not approved by many opposition groups, including Syrian National Council.”
“We call on all opposition supporters and all counties that have influence on the political and, most of all, armed opposition, to exert their influence so that all parties cease fire, as Annan’s plan stipulates,” Lavrov added.
Lavrov called on Syria to ensure safety for reporters working in the country.
“This would make it possible for journalists to visit any place in Syria and report developments there in an unbiased way,” Lavrov said. “It is crucial for decisions that will be made and are of paramount importance for the region and possibly the rest of the world.”
Lavrov said several reporters had died on the frontlines, and expressed condolences to their colleagues. He said Moscow appreciated the efforts of journalists covering the events in Syria’s trouble spots.
Over 100,000 Russian citizens living in Syria have recently contacted the Russian Embassy there, Lavrov said.
“Some of the Russians in Syria have contacted our embassy there with requests for assistance with various issues related to the events going on,” he said. “We get enough information from them to attest to the fact that those who are fighting against the government are not peaceful in nature,” he said.
