Signal must be sent to Syrian opposition that attempts to foil plan of scrapping war chemicals are impermissible - Lavrov
MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Western and Middle East countries should give a signal to the Syrian opposition that any attempt to foil the plan for eliminating chemical weapons in Syria is unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.
"As for the failures that can result from provocations, here the main role belongs to our Western partners and their closest allies in the Persian Gulf and the region as a whole who sympathize with the opposition," he said in an interview with the Kommersant daily published on Monday.
He said that these countries have influence on some Syrian opposition groups but not on all of them because some are subordinate only to Al-Qaeda.
"But the opposition forces that are subject to foreign influence should be controllable. They should be given a signal that they must not attempt to undermine the process," Lavrov said.
He said that Moscow has reasons to believe that the Syrian authorities on their own part will try to prevent the failure of the implementation of the aforementioned disposal plan.
"The president of Syria in his numerous interviews over the past few days has stressed his readiness many times to fully cooperate with [OPCW] inspectors without any exceptions or restrictions. I am sure that it will be so," Lavrov said.
