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Moscow parks itself between the world and Syria

A senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday that the push for adoption of a Western-Arab draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria was a “path to civil war” there, the Interfax news agency reported.

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A senior Russian diplomat said on Tuesday that the push for adoption of a Western-Arab draft UN Security Council resolution on Syria was a “path to civil war” there, the Interfax news agency reported.

Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov underscored Moscow’s opposition to the draft, which endorses an Arab League plan  calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, but he stopped short of an explicit threat to block it with a veto. “The Western draft Security Council resolution on Syria will not lead to a search for compromise,” Interfax quoted Gatilov as saying.

“Pushing it is a path to civil war.” Russia has said the UN draft is unacceptable in its current form. Gatilov had warned on Friday a quick vote would be doomed to failure, a strong suggestion that Moscow could use its veto if the text is not changed significantly.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia would never let the Security Council approve military action in Syria. “If the (Syrian) opposition refuses to sit at the negotiating table with the regime, what is the alternative — to bomb? We’ve been through that before,” he said.

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