Publish Date: 26 April 2016 - 08:40

MOSCOW, Apr. 26 (MNA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday described as simplistic the US approach on the proposal to fragmentize Syria in zones of influence for an alleged effective control of the ceasefire.

Lavrov told a news conference that the main task is to fight terrorism, to which Russia and the United States committed as guarantors of the peace plan implemented in late February.

The head of Russian diplomacy criticized the initiative announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry, according to which "we must agree on where you are, where we are, which territory not to touch and the zones that can be bombed," said Lavrov, paraphrasing Kerry.

It is a simplistic approach, when the task of principle is still the fight against terrorism, pointed out the Russian minister. Moscow insists on the legitimacy and pertinence of the proposed mechanism of cooperation, such as the Information Center created in Baghdad to exchange data on the positions of the terrorist groups in Syria, and the bases to monitor the ceasefire.

In that regard, Lavrov assured that the ceasefire monitoring system agreed upon by Russia and the United States worked every day.

He noted that the so-called moderate opposition should get away from the terrorists' positions if they really want to participate in the inter-Syrian political process.

They should cut themselves off from the groups considered terrorist, even by the United Nations, like the Al-Nusra Front, underlined Lavrov when referring to the work Russia is doing in the international organization to have the list of terrorist organizations fighting in Syria approved.

Regarding the negotiations in Geneva, the Russian foreign minister ruled out that there is a pause in the inter-Syrian dialogue.

The situation regarding the consultations in Geneva might be better if one of the delegations from the opposition had not abandoned the talks, he said in allusion to the group formed in the capital of Saudi Arabia that, according to Lavrov, is not a secret the influence exerted by Turkey on that representation, which demands the resignation of Syrian legitimate President Bashar Al Assad, as a condition to talk.

 

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