AMMAN – Russia is standing by Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as Arab and Western countries seek to pile pressure on him 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 UN count.
The 22-member league, which has suspended Syria’s participation in its meetings, warned that it would impose economic sanctions on the government and turned down Dr Assad’s call for an Arab summit.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country is one of Syria’s few remaining foreign friends, said demands for Mr 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,” Mr 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 bear on Syria to change course.
“The future of Syria now depends on the ability of all of us to keep pressure on them to see that there is a need to stop this violence, to listen to the people, and to find a way to move forward,” Ms Ashton told a joint news conference in Moscow.
Mr Lavrov said earlier 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.
Washington said it had few details and no confirmation of the incident, but that Mr Assad was courting trouble.
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.
Together with Military Intelligence, Airforce Intelligence is in charge of preventing dissent within the armed forces.
Syria blames the violence on foreign-backed armed groups it says have killed more than 1,100 soldiers and police.
Hundreds of people have been killed this month, one of the bloodiest periods in the revolt that began in March.
Catherine Altalli, of the opposition Syrian National Council, said Wednesday’s assault was understandable after the violence, detention and torture used on peaceful protesters.
“I am not saying this is right, there have to be limits,” she said. “But what is unacceptable is that every day bodies come out with marks of torture from Air Force Intelligence buildings and other secret police dungeons across Syria.” – (Reuters)