Ultimatums by Syrian opposition are short-sighted stance - Lavrov

MUSCAT, February 3. /TASS/. Ultimatums put forward by the Syrian opposition at the Geneva negotiations are a short-sighted stance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. "The way I see it, some members of the opposition, formed according to a list in Riyadh, are too pampered by some sponsors, in particular, Turkey, who blocked the emergence of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party," he said. "We agreed from the outset that the International Syria Support Group will be influencing the opposition and the government to ensure the negotiations proceed without any preconditions and be inclusive," Lavrov said. "Therefore, relying on foreign sponsors in that they will do the negotiations for you and putting forward ultimatums is an absolutely short-sighted stance having no prospects to succeed." "What I am saying fully applies to the Lausanne group of the opposition. There are some capricious people there, too. They put preconditions that have nothing to do with the Geneva communique and the UN Security Council’s resolution 2254," he said. Lavrov said that Russia hoped for and would take steps to ensure all delegations of the opposition and the government "be guided not by ambitions, but by the interests of the people," for which the above-mentioned documents must be used as the basis. Read more