Lavrov: U.S. responsible for lack of progress in Syria settlement process
ST. PETERSBURG. June 16 (Interfax) - There is no progress in the political settlement process in Syria, and the U.S. is responsible for this, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"It's been impossible so far to make sure that these people [Syrian opposition members] sit at the [negotiating] table in full compliance with the [UN] Security Council's clear mandate, and this is not our fault but the fault of our American partners, who, for some reason, cannot or do not want to press on their allies in the region, while these allies in the region have assumed an ultimatum-like stance," Lavrov said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday.
The Kurds have been barred from joining the intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva because of Turkey's position on the matter, Lavrov said. "It's well-known that Turkey is blocking the Kurdish Democratic Union Party from sitting at the negotiating table. It doesn't even hide this and, I believe, is even vain of this," he said.
"The so-called [opposition Syrian] High Negotiations Committee refuses to recognize the members of the other opposition groups as their peers and demands that it be recognized as the only main negotiator," he said.
"The resolution says that all negotiating groups must be represented in the negotiations, including the Riyadh group, the so-called High Committee, the Moscow group, and the Cairo group," Lavrov said, noting that the parties "have been unable to start a political dialogue involving all Syrian parties, although the resolution requires an inclusive composition of the delegations."