US justifies terror against Syria: Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday criticized the US for supporting armed groups in Syria and its failure to condemn the July 18 terrorist bomb attack in the Syrian capital that killed at least four high-profile security officials, including Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha and his deputy Assef Shawkat who is also President Assad’s brother-in-law.

“This is quite an awful position, I cannot even find the words to make clear how we feel. This is directly justifying terrorism. How can this be understood?” Lavrov told reporters in Moscow.

The top Russian diplomat also criticized the US ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice for arguing last week that the violence in Damascus meant the UN Security Council had to agree on a sanctions resolution against the Syrian government.

“In other words, to say it in plain Russian, this means ‘we (the United States) will continue to support such terrorist acts for as long as the UN Security Council has not done what we want’,” Lavrov said.

He also criticized a recent Arab League call for Assad’s rapid resignation in return for a safe exit, accusing the bloc of offering ‘conflicting solutions’ to the Syrian issue.

Russia, along with China, has so far vetoed three UNSC resolutions against Syria and has repeatedly expressed opposition to outside meddling in the country’s internal affairs.

Syria has been the scene of deadly unrest since mid-March, 2011 and many people, including large numbers of army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing protesters. But Damascus blames ”outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.

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