Moscow: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
said on Monday Russia will not support the use of force against
Syria at the United Nations, speaking about President Bashar
al-Assad in sympathetic terms.
"What I am not ready to support is a resolution (similar
to the one) on Libya because it is my deep conviction that a
good resolution has been turned into a piece of paper that is
being used to provide cover for a meaningless military
operation," he said.
Speaking in an interview with the Financial Times whose
full transcript was released by the Kremlin early today,
Medvedev referred to a March vote at the UN Security Council
which paved the way for a military operation in the North
African country.
"Russia will use its Security Council permanent member
rights," he said, referring to any proposed resolution on the
use of force against Syria.
Medvedev said any other statements on Syria including in
the UN Security Council were possible but added that he was
not sure the time was right for any of them.
"Right now I am not sure that any resolution is needed
because a resolution may say one thing but actions would be
quite different. The resolution may say: `We condemn the use
of force in Syria` and after that planes will take off into
the air.
"We will be told: `Well, it says there that we condemn so
we condemned, (and) dispatched a certain amount of bombers
there.` I don`t want it. In any case, I don`t want to have it
on my conscience," Medvedev said.
PTI
