AMMAN, (Reuters) – Russia stood by President Bashar al-Assad yesterday as Arab and Western countries sought to pile pressure on the Syrian leader to halt a violent crackdown on his opponents.
The Arab League has suspended Syria and given it until the end of the week to comply with an Arab peace plan to end bloodshed that has cost more than 3,500 lives, by a U.N. count.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is one of Syria’s few remaining foreign friends, said demands for Assad’s removal would destroy the initiative, which calls for dialogue between the Syrian government and its foes.
“If some opposition representatives, with support from some foreign countries, declare that dialogue can begin only after President Assad goes, then the Arab League initiative becomes worthless and meaningless,” Lavrov said.
He was speaking after talks with European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who said the world must bring all the influence it could to bear on Syria to change course.
Lavrov said a raid on Wednesday by the Free Syrian Army on an Airforce Intelligence complex on the outskirts of Damascus was “already completely similar to real civil war”.
Opposition sources said Syrian army defectors had killed or wounded 20 security police in the early-morning attack, the first of its kind in an eight-month revolt against Assad.
It was not possible to verify the casualty toll. The authorities have not mentioned the attack. Syria has barred most foreign media since unrest began in March.
“The attack itself was significant because of the target and the ability to pull it off. It’s much too soon to tell if this is the beginning of a trend of armed opposition to the regime,” a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States did not have any contact with the Syrian Free Army but did not condone any use of violence.
He rejected the suggestion that Syria was virtually in civil war, saying: “We believe it’s very much the Assad regime carrying out a campaign of violence, intimidation, and repression against innocent protesters.”
RETALIATORY RAIDS
Residents of Harasta, the suburb where the Airforce Intelligence compound is located, said army deserters had fired rocket-propelled grenades and machineguns for 10 minutes, provoking a security sweep that netted about 70 people.
