Russia Presents Draft Plan to U.N. on Aid to Syria

[pampango]

Source: New York Times

After rejecting a United States-backed draft resolution on humanitarian aid access in Syria, Russia presented its own version to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, one that includes calls to condemn “terrorism” in the conflict, Reuters reported, quoting Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov.

“Terrorism is certainly no less acute a problem” than the need for aid access to blockaded areas in Syria, Mr. Lavrov said, adding that Russia’s draft laid out “our vision of the role the Security Council can play if we want to foster a solution to the problems and not antagonize one side or the other.”

A sticking point is the question of how terrorism is defined. The government has often used the term to describe all armed resistance to its rule, so the opposition is loath to frame the discussion as a fight against “terrorism” that, to the government, might mean defeating the opposition fighters that the exile coalition supports.

The extent of Moscow’s leverage with the Syrian government is a matter of conjecture, but diplomats believe that as a co-signer of the Geneva communiqué that calls for setting up a transitional government in Syria, it does not want to see the government team walk away from negotiations.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/world/middleeast/syria.html

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This seems like a positive development. Condemning 'terrorism' on all sides seems like a good thing, not a bad thing.

If this leads to more ceasefires and more humanitarian aid, there may be some progress towards a resolution. We can let courts sort out and punish those guilty of terrorism on both sides in the future.

[William769]

1. They should stop their terrorism on their own people first.

And yes they are terrorizing their LGBT people.

[another_liberal]

2. Russia's anti-gay laws are disgusting and cruel, yes.

However, over one hundred seventy thousand people have already died in the Syrian Civil War and millions more are refugees, suffering terrible deprivations. Any movement toward a ceasefire and relief for the refugees still inside Syria has to be welcomed and encouraged, even if it does come from as homophobic a source as the Russian government.

The call to condemn terrorism is a difficult issue, regarding which groups will be so classified. Still, this Russian proposition is a promising opening position in what will be a tough, but clearly essential, negotiation process.

[another_liberal]

3. A very "positive development" indeed!

I hope our government, the EU and other powers involved in ending the Syrian Civil War see it as such too.