Russia slams moves to undermine Syrian sovereignty

Russia slams moves to undermine Syrian sovereignty

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman criticizes US attempts to create Kurdish quasi-state in northeast Syria

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia on Thursday slammed U.S. attempts to use the "Kurdish factor" in Syria to undermine the sovereignty of the Syrian government.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Maria Zakharova said U.S. efforts to create a Kurdish quasi-state on the eastern bank of the Euphrates were "unacceptable".

"Our approach to the creation of a quasi-state on the eastern bank of the Euphrates is unchanged, it was announced in detail by Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Syria is a sovereign state, any territorial experiments, especially attempts to tear it apart are unacceptable," she said.

On Wednesday, Sergey Lavrov called on the West to avoid double standards in fighting terrorism in Syria.

"The Kurds are simply being used to promote the line in undermining the territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, to drive a wedge between the Kurds and the Arab tribes that have lived in these territories for centuries," Lavrov said.

Zakharova said Moscow did not see any progress in the U.S.’s planned withdrawal from Syria.

"There is no clear, official position, with specific terms and quantitative parameters and other important nuances [regarding U.S. troop withdrawal]. Therefore, we cannot talk about progress," she said

Zakharova added that Lavrov would discuss Syria in detail with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen at a meeting in Moscow on Friday.

The talks will focus on counter-terrorism, humanitarian issues and creating appropriate conditions for the return of Syrian refugees, she said.


Moscow also expects the talks to clarify the path towards establishing a Syrian constitutional committee, Zakharova said.


- 'Uranium production in Iran under IAEA control'

Zakharova said there was no reason to be concerned about Iran exceeding uranium enrichment limits as the situation in the country remains under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).


"We hope Tehran will continue to take a responsible approach to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] and its additional protocol," she said.


She urged against "dramatizing" the situation and called for efforts towards working out ways to allow Iran to export its uranium and heavy water despite sanctions.

On July 1, the IAEA announced that Tehran had exceeded limits on enrichment limits on nuclear material placed by the JCPOA, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Tensions have been running high between the U.S. and Iran since Washington unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year. The agreement was an outcome of protracted negotiations between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council –including Russia -- plus Germany and the EU.

- Russia concerned about aggravation in Libya

A ceasefire in Libya has become to the first priority as the current circumstances carried the risk of deteriorating into full-fledged civil war, Zakharova said.

"We call on the Libyan political forces to engage in dialogue and take measures to restore an inclusive political process with the ultimate goal of overcoming the country's division and forming unified, effective state institutions capable of returning peace and prosperity to Libyan land," she said.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving leader Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, Libya’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.


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