Russia Warns U.S., NATO Against Military Aid to Syria Protests After Libya
Sergei Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister. Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/Bloomberg
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discusses the outlook for the leadership of the International Monetary Fund. Lavrov, speaking yesterday in Moscow with Bloomberg's Henry Meyer, Brad Cook and Ilya Arkhipov, also talks about bilateral relations with the U.S., Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and the political unrest in Syria. (Source: Bloomberg)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the U.S. and European nations not to encourage anti-government protesters in Syria by holding out the prospect of military support like they provided in Libya.
“It is not in the interests of anyone to send messages to the opposition in Syria or elsewhere that if you reject all reasonable offers we will come and help you as we did in Libya,” Lavrov, 61, said yesterday during an interview in Moscow. “It’s a very dangerous position.”
Rallies against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule have swept Syria, inspired by the uprisings that ousted authoritarian rulers in Egypt andTunisia. Syrian security forces have killed more than 1,100 people and detained at least 10,000, according to human-rights groups. The government blames the protests on Islamic militants and foreign provocateurs.
Russia abstained from the March 18 vote by the United Nations Security Council that authorized the use of force to protect civilians from Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi’s forces, saying the resolution might lead to a “large-scale military intervention.” Operations led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have stretched far beyond the stated goal of enforcing a no-fly zone, Lavrov said.
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