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Russian arms 'to deter foreign intervention in Syria'
Russia says it will go ahead with deliveries of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Syria, and that the arms will help deter foreign intervention.Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the missiles were a "stabilising factor" that could dissuade "some hotheads" from entering the conflict. Russia also criticised an EU decision not to renew an arms embargo on Syria. The decision came as the BBC heard evidence that 200 people were killed in a massacre in western Syria this month. More than 80,000 people have been killed and 1.5 million have fled Syria since the uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011, according to UN estimates. 'No deadline' On Monday, the EU said member states would be able to decide their own policy on sending arms to Syria, after foreign ministers were unable to reach the unanimous decision required to extend the current arms embargo past Saturday. While lifting the EU arms embargo is theoretically good news for the fractious Syrian opposition, it is clearly going to be some time before it has any effect on the battlefield balance. Its authors hope the decision will send a strong enough signal to the Assad regime that it is time to hand over power. That is extremely unlikely. It is hard facts on the ground that count for a regime that has shown determination to fight to the end to stay in power. While European arms supplies remain for the moment theoretical, the step has stirred an angry reaction - possibly even an escalation - from the Russians. They've said the move jeopardises efforts to convene a peace conference, and that they plan to honour a prior contract to supply Syria with advanced S-300 air defence missiles. Israel sees that as a threat to its own security, and has warned that it "would know what to do". The stakes are clearly getting higher. But for the rebels, at least the eventual possibility of carefully-controlled arms deliveries is there, in what looks like being a bloody, long-haul struggle. However, in a declaration announced after 12 hours of talks, it agreed not to "proceed at this stage with the delivery" of equipment. Posted by: tipper 2013-05-28 |
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