Russian lawmaker: Turkey bombings may be used to prevent Syria conference
MOSCOW. May 11 (Interfax) - The foreign relations chief of Russia's lower house of parliament has expressed fear that Saturday's deadly bombings in the Turkish town of Reyhanli near the Syrian border will be used to scrap proposals for talks between the Syrian government and opposition.
"Syria will be blamed for the terrorist act in Turkey - as it has always been blamed for everything. There are those who want to prevent a peace conference and push the military option through," Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the State Duma's International Affairs Committee, wrote on Twitter.
Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said two bombs had gone off in Reyhanli, killing at least 40 and injuring more than 100 people. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks had either Kurdish or Syrian roots.
After talks on Moscow on May 7 between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian leaders, the United States and Russia decided to call a meeting to try to persuade the Syrian government and opposition to start talks.
