U.S. arming Syrian opposition: Russian FM

TEHRAN, June 14 (MNA) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States is arming Syrian opposition groups in order to depose the Syrian government. Lavrov made the remarks during a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Tehran on Wednesday afternoon. Commenting on Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, he said that Moscow is concerned about the fate of the Syrian people and government and does not want to see the country disintegrate. Russia has repeatedly expressed concern about the possibility of civil war breaking out in Syria, he stated. Certain countries intend to play out a Libyan-style scenario in Syria, he said, adding, “but we are still witnessing” the consequences of the developments that occurred in Libya. He went on to say that Russia supports the Syrian nation, which is one of the pillars of stability in the region. Moscow and Tehran share the same position on Kofi Annan’s plan and believe that all parties involved in the Syrian issue should support the plan to help establish peace in the country. Annan, the UN-Arab League joint special envoy on Syria, has put forward a six-point peace plan for ending the crisis in Syria, which calls for a UN-supervised ceasefire by all parties, the withdrawal of soldiers and heavy weapons from cities, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance. On the upcoming talks between the Islamic Republic and the 5+1 group (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) in Moscow, Lavrov said that he discussed the issue with Salehi and Russia believes that Iran is eager to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program. Iran and the 5+1 group held talks in Baghdad on May 23 and 24 and agreed to continue their negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program in Moscow on June 18 and 19. In a separate meeting on Wednesday, Lavrov and the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, held talks on various issues, including bilateral ties and the latest developments in the region and the world.