Lavrov did not discuss State Dept spokesman's attack on RT with Kerry
MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he had decided not to discuss the incident involving a Russian television journalist at a recent briefing by the U.S. Department of State at his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
"Mr. Kirby was not there. So, I decided not to complain to his boss in his absence," Lavrov told the press, following negotiations with Kerry in Lima.
At the same time, the minister described the behavior of U.S. Department State spokesman John Kirby towards a Russian journalist at the recent press briefing as unacceptable.
"I believe that it fails to comply with the values proclaimed by the United States and hope that this is not the official stance of the U.S. Department of State and absolutely not of the U.S. secretary of state," Lavrov said.
As to whether any development of the incident was possible, the minister told the press, "we are not going to start every new day discussing Mr. Kirby." "I, personally, think that Mr. Kirby's superiors who are responsible for his actions and for the way he is doing his job should take measures in his regard," the minister said.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said earlier that the unethical remarks by U.S. Department of State representatives about the RT channel "are an unprecedented case of dividing journalists into right and wrong, respected and not respected."
Kirby declined to answer the RT question as to which particular hospitals in Syria had come under attack and where the information about those strikes came from. He promised to share the information after the press briefing and said "why don't you ask your defense ministry."
Another journalist said the Russian colleague "is a journalist just like the rest of are" and was her job to ask questions. Kirby replied that she was "from a state-owned outlet."" I'm sorry, but I'm not going to put Russia Today on the same level with the rest of you who are representing independent media outlets," he said.
