MOSCOW — A senior Russian diplomat on Friday warned the West against trying to predetermine a future leadership of Syria.
Deputy
Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Twitter that such attempts
would contradict the peace plan for Syria approved by world powers in
Geneva in June.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
said Wednesday that the administration would push for a shakeup in the
Syria opposition leadership so that it better represents fighters on the
frontline. Washington believes that a revamped rebel leadership could
rally wider international support and prevent extremists from hijacking
the rebellion.
“Attempts by Western sponsors of the Syrian
opposition to enforce a list of the nation’s future leadership from the
outside contradict the Geneva agreements,” Gatilov said. “The Geneva
communique says that a transitional governing body should be formed on
the basis of mutual accord of the government and the opposition.”
Russia
has been the main supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s
government, shielding it from U.N. sanctions over a crackdown on the
19-month uprising, in which at least 36,000 people have been killed,
according to opposition activists.
Earlier this week, Russia’s
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow’s rejection of calls
for Assad’s ouster, saying that it would only exacerbate the conflict.
He said that he and other Russian diplomats have urged Syrian opposition
groups to name their representatives for talks with the government.
Russia in the past has hosted various members of the Syrian opposition and has not voiced a preference.
