Lavrov: Washington failed to meet its obligations under Syria ceasefire agreement

Moscow, SANA – Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday said that Washington has failed fulfill its obligations under the Russian-US agreement on Syria, especially regarding the separation of “moderate” opposition from terrorists.

In an interview to the CNN Channel, said that the US actions gives the impression that “what the US really want is to spare Jabht al-Nusra terrorist organization and to keep it in case they decide to use a ‘Plan B’.”

“The key problem is the total inability of the US and the other members of the US-led alliance to separate the moderates from Jabhat al-Nusra,” said Lavrov, adding “I do not want to suspect the US of encouraging terrorism but what they do in the case of Jabhat al-Nusra makes me very suspicious.”

Regarding Lausanne talks on Syria, the Russian Foreign Minister said that in addition to Russia and the US, the meeting will be attended by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and maybe Qatar.

“We want to have a meeting of the countries that have direct influence on what is going on the ground in Syria, either by being there … or through financing and supplying arms to the opposition,” adding that it would be a meeting “in a narrow format” involving Russia, the US and “some regional powers.”

He said he hopes that it will be “a business-like discussion and not some general assembly-like debate”, highlighting the importance of the involvement of regional players such as Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar is very important.

On the situation in Aleppo, Lavrov described as “real catastrophe” the suffering of civilians in Aleppo due to terrorists’ practices, stressing the need to separate moderate opposition from terrorists to end this suffering.

R. Raslan / Ghossoun