Menteri Luar Rusia Sergey Lavrov. (Screenshot daripada Channel 1 Time programme 1 Ahad) (Screenshot from Channel 1 Sunday Time programme - think IN pictures @1WORLDCommunity)
MADAyuMadyan - Lavrov: US mendesak Rusia meluluskan resolusi PBB ke atas Syria di bawah Bab 7. Amerika Syarikat menolak Rusia ke dalam meluluskan resolusi PBB yang akan membolehkan untuk campur tangan ketenteraan di Syria, sebagai pertukaran untuk sokongan Amerika kesertaan Syria untuk OPCW, Menteri Luar Rusia Sergey Lavrov berkata.
“Rakan-rakan Amerika mula memeras ugut kami: ‘Jika Rusia tidak menyokong resolusi di bawah Bab 7, maka kami akan menarik balik sokongan kami untuk masuk ke Syria Pertubuhan bagi Larangan Senjata Kimia (OPCW). Ini adalah berlepas lengkap dari apa yang saya bersetuju dengan Setiausaha Negara John Kerry’, “kata Menteri Luar Rusia Sergey Lavrov memberitahu Channel 1 Ahad Time program.
Bab 7 Piagam PBB akan membolehkan campur tangan tentera yang berpotensi di Syria.
Negara-negara Barat buta oleh 'Assad mesti pergi
kerana tingkahlaku
Ketua Kementerian Luar Rusia seterusnya berkata beliau terkejut dengan pendekatan Barat “cuai” kepada konflik.
“Rakan-rakan kami buta dengan misi ideologi untuk perubahan rejim,” kata Lavrov. “Mereka tidak boleh mengakui bahawa mereka telah membuat kesilapan yang lain.”
Menghempas campur tangan Barat di Libya dan Iraq, Menteri Luar menyatakan bahawa campur tangan tentera sahaja boleh membawa kepada malapetaka di rantau ini. Selain itu, beliau menegaskan bahawa jika Barat benar-benar adalah berminat dalam penyelesaian secara aman kepada konflik yang telah berlarutan selama lebih 2 tahun, mereka akan kini boleh menolak untuk masuk Syria ke OPCW di tempat yang pertama, bukan untuk penyingkiran Presiden Bashar Assad.
“Saya yakin bahawa Barat lakukan ini untuk menunjukkan bahawa mereka memanggil tembakan di Timur Tengah. Ini adalah satu pendekatan yang benar-benar dipolitikkan,” kata Lavrov.
‘Mengulangi Geneva 2012’
Lavrov mengimbas kembali kepada perjanjian Geneva tahun lepas yang telah dipersetujui oleh masyarakat antarabangsa, termasuk Rusia dan Amerika Syarikat. Walau bagaimanapun, apabila ketetapan itu pergi kepada Majlis Keselamatan Amerika Syarikat menuntut Bab 7 dimasukkan.
“Sejarah adalah mengulangi sendiri. Sekali lagi di Geneva perjanjian telah dicapai yang tidak mengandungi apa-apa sebutan dalam Bab 7. Tetapi Majlis Keselamatan mahu buat semula dokumen itu dengan cara mereka sendiri untuk memasukkan ia.”
Beliau menggesa Barat untuk mematuhi undang-undang antarabangsa dan berhenti menulis resolusi didorong “cita-cita geopolitik” oleh mereka.
‘Kedua-dua pihak perlu menyerahkan senjata kimia’
Sergey Lavrov juga telah menegaskan bahawa pihak pembangkang mengambil bahagian dalam pelucutan tauliah stok simpanan senjata kimia di Syria.
“Penyelesaian yang sedang bekerja di OPCW mencadangkan bahawa semua stok senjata kimia Syria mesti dibawa di bawah kawalan dan akhirnya dimusnahkan.”
Lavrov lagi mendakwa bahawa Barat adalah “tidak memberitahu seluruh kisah ini” dengan menyatakan bahawa senjata kimia hanya dimiliki oleh rejim, dan bukan pembangkang.
Beliau menambah bahawa maklumat yang disediakan oleh Israel mengesahkan bahawa sekurang-kurangnya 2 kali, pemberontak telah merampas kawasan-kawasan di mana senjata kimia telah disimpan dan senjata mereka mungkin telah jatuh ke tangan mereka.
“Menurut anggaran kami, ada kemungkinan yang kuat bahawa di samping makmal rumah tempatan di mana militan cuba untuk memasak ramuan yang membahayakan dan berbahaya, data yang disediakan oleh Israel adalah benar,” kata Rusia FM.
“Kerja Persediaan untuk pemeriksa OPCW untuk mengambil alih kawalan laman kimia penyimpanan senjata memerlukan orang-orang yang membiayai dan menaja kumpulan pembangkang - termasuk pelampau - permintaan mereka menyerahkan [tangan] yang telah disita supaya mereka boleh memusnahkannya, menurut Konvensyen tentang Larangan Senjata Kimia.”
Lavrov berkata bahawa Rusia tidak penjamin seorang bagi pelucutan senjata kimia di Syria, sebagai komitmen Syria jatuh di bawah naungan Konvensyen Senjata Kimia, yang di peringkat antarabangsa yang ditadbir oleh OPCW itu.
Lavrov berkata, Rusia dan Amerika Syarikat telah bekerja di luar draf resolusi yang akan dikemukakan kepada OPCW, walaupun beberapa perkara masih belum dipersetujui.
Logistik kemusnahan
Sergey Lavrov berkata bahawa tempoh masa bagi penghapusan senjata kimia Syria tidak realistik.
“Sebahagian besar daripada angka-angka sebagai satu masa, panjang, permulaan, penamat misi telah dicadangkan oleh pihak Amerika,” katanya.
Walaupun tempoh masa yang boleh dilaksanakan, masih ada perbezaan pendapat mengenai kos usaha.
Awal minggu ini, Presiden Assad berkata kemusnahan senjata senjata kimia di Syria akan menjadi satu usaha yang mahal.
“Ia memerlukan banyak wang, ia memerlukan kira-kira 1 bilion [dolar Amerika Syarikat]. Ia amat memudaratkan alam sekitar. Jika pentadbiran Amerika bersedia untuk membayar wang itu, dan mengambil tanggungjawab untuk membawa bahan-bahan toksik ke Amerika Syarikat, mengapa mereka tidak melakukannya?” Assad memberitahu Fox News
Lavrov berkata beliau telah mendengar tentang anggaran kos, walaupun semasa rundingan dengan rakan sejawatannya dari Amerika Syarikat di Geneva minggu lepas, angka itu jauh lebih rendah. Lavrov berkata perbezaan berpunca daripada hakikat bahawa anggaran yang profesional adalah teratur.
“Apabila pakar OPCW melawat Syria dan melihat laman yang menyimpan senjata kimia, mereka akan memahami apa yang boleh dimusnahkan di tempat kejadian (dan ini juga boleh) dengan penggunaan peralatan mudah alih yang beberapa negeri mempunyai, dan orang-orang di mana kilang-kilang khas perlu dibina, seperti yang kita lakukan apabila memusnahkan stok simpanan senjata kimia Soviet. Tetapi bagi mereka yang perlu dibawa keluar dari negara ini - bahan-bahan toksik - akan memerlukan satu keputusan yang istimewa, kerana konvensyen itu menganggap ia penting bahawa kemusnahan yang berlaku di wilayah negara itu yang memiliki senjata kimia,” katanya.
Lavrov berkata alasan undang-undang perlu didapati untuk bergerak ke hadapan dalam kes ini, tetapi jika semua pihak boleh bersetuju pada dasarnya, kemudian merangka dokumen yang mengikat secara sah tidak akan menjadi keras.
Beliau juga berkata masalah yang akan dihadapi dalam memastikan keselamatan kedua-dua pakar-pakar Syria dan antarabangsa ditugaskan untuk membawa senjata kimia di bawah kawalan dan meletakkan asas bagi pemusnahan utama mereka.
“Kami menganggap bahawa kehadiran antarabangsa akan menuntut di kawasan-kawasan di mana pakar-pakar yang bekerja. Kami bersedia untuk memperuntukkan askar kita sendiri atau polis tentera untuk mengambil bahagian dalam usaha-usaha ini. Saya tidak percaya ia adalah perlu untuk menghantar yang kuat [tentera] kontingensi]. Ia seolah-olah bahawa ia akan mencukupi untuk menghantar pemerhati tentera. Ia akan menjadi perlu untuk melakukannya dalam apa-apa cara yang pemerhati akan datang dari semua anggota tetap Majlis Keselamatan PBB, negara-negara Arab dan Turki, supaya semua pihak yang bercanggah di Syria faham bahawa kontinjen ini mewakili semua kuasa-kuasa luar yang bekerjasama dengan satu atau pihak lain yang bercanggah di Syria . . . supaya mereka tidak mengambil tindakan provokasi,” katanya.
Lavrov mengulangi kenyataan dahulu yang dibuat semasa rundingan dengan Setiausaha Negara John Kerry berikutan rundingan mereka di Geneva minggu lepas bahawa pembangkang adalah sama-sama bertanggungjawab untuk menyediakan untuk keselamatan OPCW dan pakar-pakar PBB di negara ini dan tidak membenarkan mana-mana “provokasi”.
Lavrov: US pressuring Russia into passing UN
resolution
on Syria under Chapter 7
The US is pushing Russia into approving a UN resolution that would allow for military intervention in Syria, in exchange for American support of Syria’s accession to OPCW, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
“Our American partners are starting to blackmail us: ‘If Russia does not support a resolution under Chapter 7, then we will withdraw our support for Syria’s entry into the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This is a complete departure from what I agreed with Secretary of State John Kerry',” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Channel 1's Sunday Time program.
Chapter 7 of the UN charter would allow for potential military intervention in Syria.
Western countries blinded by 'Assad must go' Attitude
The head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry went on to say he was surprised by the West’s “negligent” approach to the conflict.
“Our partners are blinded by an ideological mission for regime change,” said Lavrov. “They cannot admit they have made another mistake.”
Slamming the West’s intervention in Libya and Iraq, the foreign minister stated that military intervention could only lead to a catastrophe in the region. Moreover, he stressed that if the West really was interested in a peaceful solution to the conflict that has raged for over two years, they would now be pushing for Syria’s entry into the OPCW in the first place, not for the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
“I am convinced that the West is doing this to demonstrate that they call the shots in the Middle East. This is a totally politicized approach,” said Lavrov.
'A repeat of Geneva 2012'
Lavrov harked back to last year’s Geneva accord which was agreed upon by the international community, including Russia and the US. However, when the resolution went to the Security Council the US demanded that Chapter 7 be included.
“History is repeating itself. Once again in Geneva an agreement has been reached which does not contain any mention of Chapter 7. But the Security Council wants to redo the document in their own way to include it.”
He called on the West to observe international law and stop writing resolutions motivated by their “geopolitical ambitions.”
‘Both sides must hand over chemical weapons’
Sergey Lavrov has also insisted that opposition forces take part in the decommissioning of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles.
“The solutions currently being worked out at the OPCW suggest that all stocks of Syrian chemical weapons must be brought under control and ultimately destroyed.”
Lavrov further charged that the West was “not telling the whole story” by asserting that chemical weapons are only possessed by the regime, and not the opposition.
He added that the available information provided by the Israelis confirmed that on at least two occasions, the rebels had seized areas in which chemical weapons were stored and those arms might have fallen into their hands.
"According to our estimates, there is a strong probability that in addition to home-grown labs in which militants are trying to cook up harmful and deadly concoctions, the data provided by the Israelis is true,” the Russian FM said.
“Preparatory work for OPCW inspectors to assume control of chemical weapons storage sites requires that those who fund and sponsor opposition groups – including extremists – demand that they hand over the [arms] which have been seized so that they can be destroyed, pursuant to the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.”
Lavrov added that Russia was not a guarantor for the disarmament of Syria’s chemical weapons, as Syria’s commitments fell under the auspices of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which is internationally administered by the OPCW.
Lavrov said Russia and the US were working out a draft resolution to be submitted to the OPCW, although several points were yet to be agreed upon.
Logistics of destruction
Sergey Lavrov said that the time frame for the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons was not unrealistic.
"The overwhelming majority of the figures as per timing, term, beginning, finishing of the mission have been suggested by the American side," he added.
Even if the time frame is feasible, there remains disagreement on the cost of the venture.
Earlier this week, President Assad said the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal would be a costly venture.
“It needs a lot of money, it needs about one billion [US dollars]. It’s very detrimental to the environment. If the American administration is ready to pay the money, and to take responsibility of bringing toxic materials to the United States, why don’t they do it?” Assad told Fox News
Lavrov said he had heard of the cost estimate, although during his negotiations with his US counterpart in Geneva last week, the figure was much lower. Lavrov said the discrepancy stemmed from the fact that a professional estimate was in order.
“When OPCW experts visit Syria and view the storage sites for chemical weapons, they will understand what can be destroyed on the spot (and this is also possible) with the use of mobile equipment which a number of states have, and those where special factories need to be built, as we did when destroying Soviet chemical weapons stockpiles. But for those which need to be taken out of the country – toxic substances – will require a special decision, because the convention considers it essential that the destruction takes place on the territory of that country which possesses the chemical weapons,” he said.
Lavrov said legal grounds would need to be found to move forward in this case, but if all sides could agree in principle, then drawing up a legally binding document will not be hard.
He further noted the difficulties that would be faced in assuring the security of both the Syrian and international experts tasked with bringing the chemical weapons under control and laying the groundwork for their ultimate destruction.
“We’ve considered that an international presence will be demanded in those areas where experts are working. We are prepared to allocate our own servicemen or military police to take part in those efforts. I do not believe it is necessary to send in a strong [military] contingency.] It seems to me that it will be sufficient to send in military observers. It will be necessary to do it in such a way that the observers will come from all permanent members of the UN Security Council, Arab states and Turkey, so that all conflicting sides in Syria understand that this contingent represents all external forces who are collaborating with one or the other conflicting sides in Syria . . . so that they don’t resort to provocations,” he said.
Lavrov reiterated previous statements made during his negotiations with Secretary of State John Kerry following their talks in Geneva last week that the opposition was equally responsible for providing for the safety of OPCW and UN experts in the country and not allowing for any “provocations.”
