Russian foreign minister: 'We don't support the Syrian government, we support Kofi Annan's plan.
Earlier in the day, William Hague, the UK foreign secretary, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, called at a joint press conference in Moscow for greater efforts to implement the plan, which calls on both government forces and rebels to cease hostilities and for a Syrian-led political process.
Lavrov said that "who is in power" in Syria is less important than that the bloodshed is brought to an end. 'We don't support the Syrian government, we support Kofi Annan's plan," he said.
"Russia is in a difficult and isolated position," according to Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from the Russian capital. "Moscow has been a friend of Syria for decades, and has vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions condemning the killing. It needs to look after its strategic and economic interests in Syria, but not appear too much like the protector of a repressive and violent government."
Lavrov met Hague a day after the UN Security Council unanimously condemned the use of heavy weapons in the Houla massacre. The world body said in a press statement issued after an emergency meeting on Sunday that the "outrageous use of force" against civilians violated international law and that "the attacks involved a series of government artillery and tank shellings on a residential neighbourhood".
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/05/2012528104471849.html
Assad is undoubtedly unhappy that Russia allowed UN observers to enter Syria. Now there are UN observers on the ground to document atrocities that otherwise could have been dismissed with "he said, he said", "who knows which side is telling the truth" types of denials.
Russia is still protecting Syria and supplying it with a flow of weapons and doesn't want to lose one of its biggest weapons buyers, but the Russian government is distancing itself from Assad and seems to be willing to look at alternatives that might preserve Russia's interests there.
