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| Russia opposes Western calls for Assad to go |
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The position sets Russia firmly against the West, which has called for Assad’s departure for the first time amid a prolonged crackdown against anti-government protests, Euro News reported on Friday. Moscow said it will not support a planned UN resolution on Syria, instead backing the August 3 statement condemning the violence. A foreign ministry source described as “very important” Assad’s announcement that military operations have stopped. Britain does not believe the Syrian leader. “We will be working on a Security Council resolution which will include measures to apply that pressure to those who are responsible (for the violence),” said Philip Parham, the UK’s ambassador to the UN. UN investigators said Assad’s forces may have committed crimes against humanity in a campaign which is believed to have killed nearly 2,000 civilians. But Russia, which has the power of veto at the Security Council, has long called for non-interference and internal dialogue. U.S. waging 'diplomatic war' Syria has accused the U.S. of waging “a diplomatic war” against it by imposing sanctions and calling for President Assad to resign.. According to AP, Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari told reporters Thursday the only aim of the U.S. “war” is to instigate further violence in the country by sending “the wrong message to the terrorist armed groups that they are under American and Western protection.” Ja'afari insisted that Syria has halted military and police operations. Activists on Thursday, however, reported shooting in the flashpoint city of Latakia. Ja'afari accused the U.S. and European countries of ignoring Syrian reforms and using the Security Council “to settle their old accounts with our country.” On Thursday, the U.S. and its European allies called on Syria's leader to step down. And U.S. President Barack Obama accused President Assad of “torturing and slaughtering” his own people. Obama released a statement saying the time had come for Syrian president to “step aside.” He also ordered Syrian government assets in the U.S. frozen, banned U.S. citizens from operating in or investing in Syria and prohibited U.S. imports of Syrian oil products. 'Syrian army leaving Deir Ezzor' The Syrian army has begun pulling its units out of the eastern city of Deir Ezzor after clearing the town of armed gangs, officials say. A Syrian military official said the troops were returning to their barracks after clashes with armed gangs that had terrorized citizens and vandalized public and private property in the city, Syria’s SANA news agency reported on Thursday. People of Deir Ezzor expressed their gratitude to the Syrian army units for restoring security to the city. A Syrian human rights group said at least 17 people were killed during last week's unrest in the eastern city. Syria has been experiencing disturbances in the past months, with demonstrations held both against and in support of President Assad's government. Hundreds of people, including security forces, have been killed during clashes in Syria since the beginning of the unrest in mid-March. The Syrian opposition accuses security forces of being behind the killings, but the government blames the deadly violence on foreign-backed armed gangs.   Socialize this Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in touch and receive all of TT updates right in your feed reader
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