person:sergei lavrov

  • Ex-U.S. marine held in Russia for spying was misled, says lawyer | Reuters
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-espionage-whelan-idUSKCN1PG0Y4


    Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan, who was detained by Russia’s FSB security service on suspicion of spying, looks out of a defendants’ cage before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia January 22, 2019.
    REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

    The lawyer for a former U.S. marine accused of spying by Russia said on Tuesday that his client had been misled before his arrest and believed that a thumb drive handed to him in a hotel room had contained holiday snaps rather than secret information.

    Russia’s Federal Security Serviced detained Paul Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28.

    Whelan appeared in a Moscow court on Tuesday, where a judge rejected a release on bail. If found guilty of espionage, he could be jailed for up to 20 years.

    Whelan, who denies the charges, was detained after receiving a thumb drive containing a list of all the employees of a secret Russian state agency, the Russian online news portal Rosbalt.ru reported this month.

    Rosbalt cited an unnamed Russian intelligence source as saying that Whelan had been spying for 10 years, using the internet to identify targets from whom he could obtain information, and that the list he was caught with had long been of interest to U.S. spies.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared to support that version of events, later telling reporters Whelan had been “caught red-handed” carrying out “specific illegal actions” in his hotel room.

    But Vladimir Zherebenkov, Whelan’s lawyer, said on Tuesday that his client had accepted the information unknowingly.

    Paul was actually meant to receive information from an individual that was not classified,” Zherebenkov told reporters.

    These were cultural things, a trip to a cathedral, Paul’s holiday ... photographs. But as it turned out, it (the thumb drive) contained classified information.”

    The lawyer said Whelan had not been able to see what was on the thumb drive because he had been detained before he had a chance to do so.

    • McFaul: Whelan’s Arrest Is ‘Very Strange’ – Foreign Policy
      (article du 8/01/2019)
      https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/01/08/mcfaul-whelans-arrest-is-very-strange

      The former U.S. ambassador to Russia says the former Marine’s detention doesn’t fit the pattern of previous ones.
      […]
      _FP_spoke to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who has himself been harshly criticized by the Russian government, about his experience in dealing with such arrests and why he has many unanswered questions about Paul Whelan’s detention. What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
      […]
      FP: What for you is still to be answered? What are the big questions?
      MM: Well the biggest one is what espionage was he doing. The story in the Russian press is quite convoluted, that he was asking for the names of some low-level officials on a USB drive. But you know that sounds all very strange to me. And again, the Russians are very good at counterintelligence—probably one of the best countries in the world at running that. They have extremely effective and pervasive monitoring systems in that country. If they caught him red-handed in this act, why haven’t we seen those photos? Why haven’t we seen tapes? That’s strange to me. And, by the way, they oftentimes make up this stuff. So it’s also even strange to me that they haven’t given us the made-up stuff as they’ve done with other people that they’ve detained. I want to learn more. This does not strike me as somebody familiar with intelligence operations in Russia. Mr. Whelan doesn’t strike me as a typical spy given his background. This doesn’t fit what I typically think of an intelligence operation inside Russia, which is a very risky place to do any kinds of operations. It doesn’t fit the normal standard operating procedure for me.
      […]
      FP: Is it unusual that we haven’t heard from the president or the White House on this?
      MM: No, I don’t know if it’s unusual or not. It’s striking to me how little the president’s talked about it. Not just talking about it but, do something about it. He has put forward a hypothesis about diplomacy that if he develops and nurtures these personal relationships with people like Putin, that will lead to concrete results that are good for the American people. He’s made that argument for years now. Well, here it is, here’s an American arrested.

      FP: Trump has made it a point in the past of getting Americans held abroad released, he’s been quite proud of that.
      MM: Exactly. Interacting with dictators and doing that as he did with the North Korean government. So, why not here? Maybe it’s happening behind the scenes, I don’t know, but I do think it’s odd.

  • Russia says only Syrian army should be on country’s southern border with Israel

    Israel believes Russia may agree to withdrawing Iranian forces and allied Shi’ite militias from Israel-Syria border

    Noa Landau and Reuters May 28, 2018

    https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/syria/russia-says-only-syrian-army-should-be-on-country-s-southern-border-1.61198

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that only Syrian government troops should have a presence on the country’s southern border which is close to Jordan and Israel, the RIA news agency reported.
    Lavrov was cited as making the comments at a joint news conference in Moscow with Jose Condungua Pacheco, his counterpart from Mozambique.
    Meanwhile, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman will leave on Wednesday for a short visit to Russia. He is scheduled to meet with his counterpart, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shvigo, the ministry said in a statement on Monday. Lieberman is expected to discuss with his hosts the recent events in the Middle East, primarily the tension between Israel and Iran over the Iranian military presence in Syria.
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke at the Knesset Monday, saying that “there is no room for any Iranian military presence in any part of Syria.”
    Lieberman said that “these things, of course, reflect not only our position, I can safely say that they reflect the positions of others in the Middle East and beyond the Middle East.”
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    On Sunday, Haaretz reported that Israeli political and military officials believe Russia is willing to discuss a significant distancing of Iranian forces and allied Shi’ite militias from the Israel-Syria border, according to Israeli officials.
    The change in Russia’s position has become clearer since Israel’s May 10 military clash with Iran in Syria and amid Moscow’s concerns that further Israeli moves would threaten the stability of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.
    Russia recently renewed efforts to try to get the United States involved in agreements that would stabilize Syria. The Russians might be willing to remove the Iranians from the Israeli border, though not necessarily remove the forces linked to them from the whole country.
    Last November, Russia and the United States, in coordination with Jordan, forged an agreement to decrease the possibility of friction in southern Syria, after the Assad regime defeated rebel groups in the center of the country. Israel sought to keep the Iranians and Shi’ite militias at least 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Israeli border in the Golan Heights, east of the Damascus-Daraa road (or, according to another version, east of the Damascus-Suwayda road, about 70 kilometers from the border).

    FILE – Iran’s Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, left, in Aleppo, Syria, in photo provided October 20, 2017/AP
    According to Israeli intelligence, in Syria there are now around 2,000 Iranian officers and advisers, members of the Revolutionary Guards, around 9,000 Shi’ite militiamen from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq, and around 7,000 Hezbollah fighters. Israel believes that the Americans are now in a good position to reach a more effective arrangement in Syria in coordination with the Russians under the slogan “Without Iran and without ISIS.”
    The United States warned Syria on Friday it would take “firm and appropriate measures” in response to ceasefire violations, saying it was concerned about reports of an impending military operation in a de-escalation zone in the country’s southwest.
    Washington also cautioned Assad against broadening the conflict.
    “As a guarantor of this de-escalation area with Russia and Jordan, the United States will take firm and appropriate measures in response to Assad regime violations,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement late on Friday.
    A war monitor, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported on Wednesday that Syrian government forces fresh from their victory this week against an Islamic State pocket in south Damascus were moving into the southern province of Deraa.
    Syrian state-run media have reported that government aircraft have dropped leaflets on rebel-held areas in Deraa urging fighters to disarm.
    The U.S. warning comes weeks after a similar attack on a de-escalation zone in northeastern Syria held by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. U.S. ground and air forces repelled the more than four-hour attack, killing perhaps as many as 300 pro-Assad militia members, many of them Russian mercenaries.
    Backed by Russian warplanes, ground forces from Iran and allied militia, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, have helped Assad drive rebels from Syria’s biggest cities, putting him in an unassailable military position.

  • Russia says Syrian ’chemical attack’ was staged - BBC News
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43747922

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said a reported chemical attack in Syria was staged by foreign agents.

    The US and France say they have proof it took place and, alongside the UK, are considering military retaliation.

    Russia, which has military forces deployed in Syria in support of the government, has warned that US air strikes risk starting a war.

    The UN’s secretary general has said the Middle East is “in chaos” and the Cold War is “back with a vengeance”. Antonio Guterres was speaking to a special meeting of the UN Security Council, called by Russia.

    Independent chemical weapons inspectors are expected to arrive in the area of the alleged attack on Saturday.

    During a press briefing on Friday, Mr Lavrov said he had “irrefutable evidence” that the attack was staged as part of a “Russophobic campaign” led by one country, which he did not name.

    The White House says it is continuing to assess intelligence and talk to its allies about how to respond.

    A delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will start its investigations in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region on Saturday but few details are expected to be released about its movements for safety reasons.

    The suspected attack, denied by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, was carried out in the Eastern Ghouta town of Douma on Saturday, reportedly killing dozens of people.
    Control over the town has since passed from rebels to the Syrian and Russian military authorities.

    The Violations Documentation Center (VDC), a Syrian opposition network which records alleged violations of international law in Syria, said bodies were found foaming at the mouth, and with discoloured skin and burns to the eyes.

    On Thursday, unnamed US officials told NBC News they had obtained blood and urine samples from victims which had tested positive for chlorine and a nerve agent.

    The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Hayley, told the network: “We definitely have enough proof but now we just have to be thoughtful in our action.”

    French President Emmanuel Macron also said he had “proof” that the Syrian government had attacked Douma with chemical weapons but did not give further details.

  • Russia Says Caspian Legal Status Resolved, Agreement Ready For Signing

    https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-caspian-status-resolved-russia-says/28903729.html

    Si c’est vraiment vrai, c’est historique.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a recent meeting of foreign ministers from the Caspian Sea littoral states that after more than 20 years of talks, an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian was “practically ready” for signing.

    Lavrov met in Moscow with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan on December 4-5.

    After the meeting ended, Lavrov told reporters: “I am pleased to tell you that we have found solutions to all outstanding key issues linked with this document. The text of the convention is practically ready.”

    Un petit rappel du contexte :

    https://visionscarto.net/caspienne-mer-ou-lac

    #mer_caspienne #asie_centrale #caucase

  • Lavrov calls for Syria’s return to Arab League | News , Middle East | THE DAILY STAR
    https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2017/Feb-01/391854-lavrov-calls-for-syrias-return-to-arab-league.ashx

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Syria’s return to the Arab League would allow the organisation to play a role in finding a political solution to the country’s conflict.

    “The League could play a more important, more effective role if the Syrian government was part of the organisation,” Lavrov, whose country is a key ally of the Damascus regime and also a broker in peace efforts, told a press conference in the Emirati capital.

    He said Syria was a “legitimate” member of the United Nations and yet “can not take part in discussions inside the Arab League”.

    “This does not help our joint (peace) efforts,” said Lavrov.

    But Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who was also at the press conference, ruled out an early return of Syria to the Cairo-based organisation.

  • Damascus was 2-3 weeks from falling when Russia intervened | GulfNews.com
    http://gulfnews.com/news/mena/syria/damascus-was-2-3-weeks-from-falling-when-russia-intervened-1.1963493

    The Syrian capital of Damascus was two to three weeks away from falling to terrorists when Russia intervened in support of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference on Tuesday.

    He also said that he had information that some European countries were considering wrecking upcoming Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan because they felt left out.

    #syrie

    • Une déclaration que commente ABA en y voyant, assez possiblement, l’indice d’une confirmation des désaccords russo-iraniens sur la conférence d’Astana. La déclaration de Lavarov revenant à dire, poliment, c’est nous seuls qui avons évité la chute du régime syrien. Ce qui signifie aussi, souligne ABA en conclusion, vous voyez que NOUS on intervient pour nos alliés... http://www.raialyoum.com/?p=604819

  • Scénarios pour l’après-tragédie-bouffe
    http://www.dedefensa.org/article/scenarios-pour-lapres-tragedie-bouffe

    Scénarios pour l’après-tragédie-bouffe

    Pendant deux ou trois semaines, peut-être plus qui sait avec notre mémoire qui flanche, nous avons vécu sous une avalanche de “révélations” portant sur les aventures pseudo-sexuelles, – en général nullement consommées d’après ce qu’il semble, – de Donald Trump, remontant jusqu’à la nuit des temps. Cette attaque extraordinaire d’unanimisme, d’inflation sans frein, de compétition dans l’emportement de ne cesser d’en rajouter, et tout cela du fait de la presse-Système, est d’une telle ampleur qu’on finit pas s’interroger sur l’efficacité de la chose et souvent s’abîmer dans le baroque grotesque. Devant une Christiane Amanpour (CNN) pour une fois hilare, Sergei Lavrov, parlant anglais et répondant une question sur le “Pussy Moment” de l’élection (« Can I just try one last question ? (...)

    • “If average voters turned on the TV for five minutes this week, chances are they know that Donald Trump made lewd remarks a decade ago and now stands accused of groping women. But even if average voters had the TV on 24/7, they still probably haven’t heard the news about Hillary Clinton: That the nation now has proof of pretty much everything she has been accused of.

      Et puis aussi, Lavrov à propos de ces histoires :

      Devant une Christiane Amanpour (CNN) pour une fois hilare, Sergei Lavrov, parlant anglais et répondant une question sur le “Pussy Moment” de l’élection (« Can I just try one last question ? One last question. A bit cheeky but I’m going to ask you. Russia has its own Pussy Riot moment. What do you think of Donald Trump’s Pussy Riot moment ? »), dit ceci qui détendit grandement l’atmosphère : « Well, I don’t know what this would... English is not my mother tongue, I don’t konw If I would sound decent. There are so many pussies around the presidential election on both side that I prefer not to comment on this... »

  • Washington suspend ses pourparlers avec Moscou sur le cessez-le-feu en Syrie...
    https://www.crashdebug.fr/international/12433-washington-suspend-ses-pourparlers-avec-moscou-sur-le-cessez-le-feu

    Au risque de vous décevoir, j’ai la confirmation que Vladimir Poutine fait partie intégrante de la cabale du nouvel ordre mondial... Tout ce petit jeu est donc du... Cinéma...

    Le secrétaire d’Etat américain John Kerry et le ministre des Affaires étrangères russe Sergei Lavrov à Genève,

    le 9 septembre 2016 (Photo KEVIN LAMARQUE. AFP)

    Le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères a dit regretter la décision des Etats-Unis, accusant Washington de tenter de faire porter sur Moscou la responsabilité d’un échec.

    La Maison Blanche se dit « à bout de patience ». Les Etats-Unis ont annoncé ce lundi qu’ils interrompaient leurs pourparlers avec la Russie à propos d’un cessez-le-feu en Syrie, la trêve prévue par l’accord américano-russe du 9 septembre ayant volé en éclats, selon le département d’Etat.

    « Tout le (...)

    #En_vedette #Ça_s'est_dit_par_là... #International

  • Lire absolument: The Slow Death of the Syria Cease-Fire Brings a Hybrid War With Russia Closer
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/alastair-crooke/syria-cease-fire-russia_b_10510126.html

    In brief, the cease-fire has failed. It was not observed. The U.S. made no real effort to separate the moderates from Nusra around Aleppo (as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has affirmed). Instead, the U.S. reportedly sought Nusra’s exemption from any Russian or Syrian attack. It reminds one of that old joke: “Oh Lord, preserve me from sin — but not just yet!” Or in other words, “preserve us from these dreadful jihadist terrorists, but not just yet, for Nusra is too useful a tool to lose.”

    The cease-fire did not hasten any political solution, and Russia’s allies — Iran and Hezbollah — have already paid and will continue to pay a heavy price in terms of casualties for halting their momentum toward Aleppo. The opposition now has renewed vigor — and weapons.

    It is hard to see the cease-fire holding value for Moscow much longer. The original Russian intention was to try to compel American cooperation, firstly in the war against jihadism and, more generally, to compel the U.S. and Europe to acknowledge that their own security interests intersect directly with those of Moscow and that this intersection plainly calls for partnership rather than confrontation.

    The opposition now has renewed vigor — and weapons.
    The present situation in Syria neither facilitates this bigger objective nor the secondary one of defeating radical jihadism. Rather, it has led to calls in Russia for a less conciliatory approach to the U.S. and for the Kremlin to acknowledge that far from preparing for partnership, NATO is gearing up for a hybrid war against Russia.

    It is also hard to see the cease-fire holding any continuing value for Tehran either. While the Iran nuclear agreement seemed to hold out the promise of bringing Iran back into the global financial system, such expectations seem now to be withering on the vine. As a result, Iran is likely to feel released from self-imposed limitations of their engagement in Syria and in other parts of the Middle East. Damascus, meanwhile, only very reluctantly agreed to leave its citizens in Aleppo in some semi-frozen limbo. Iran and Hezbollah were equally dubious.

    All this suggests renewed military escalation this summer. Russian President Vladimir Putin will probably not wish to act before the European summit at the end of June. And neither would he wish Russia to figure largely as an issue in the U.S. presidential election. Yet he cannot ignore the pressures from those within Russia who insist that America is planning a hybrid war for which Russia is unprepared.

  • Syria civil war: The message from Moscow
    http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/middleeast/2016/06/syria-civil-war-message-moscow-nusra-160604163154005.html

    Russia has sent three messages over the past week or so about the situation in Syria.

    First, the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front is to be blamed for violating and jeopardising the truce.

    “The Nusra terrorist group is active in Aleppo and Idlib today and it is the main obstacle for the further extension of the cessation of hostilities,” the defence ministry said, accusing the group of exploiting the truce to rearm and regroup. 

    Second, the US is to be blamed for failing to separate the “moderate opposition units they control from terrorists. That is why further postponing by our American partners in that effort doesn’t only discredit the so called moderate opposition but leads to undermining the peace process”.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the deadline to back away from al-Nusra will expire this week.

    And third, the Turkey border is still being used to smuggle weapons to “terrorists” in Syria.

    “The number of heavy trucks moving from the Turkish-Syrian borders to the region of Azaz (Aleppo province) …and to the region of Darat Izza (Idlib province) has increased significantly,” the defence ministry said.

    • Russia to ’actively’ back Syria army around Aleppo
      http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2016/Jun-06/355603-russia-to-actively-back-syria-army-around-aleppo.ashx

      Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed to “actively support” Syrian troops from the air around Aleppo Monday, after a weekend of fierce fighting left dozens dead in the divided city.

      Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia has waited long enough for Syria’s moderate opposition to leave areas controlled by extremist groups, and that air raids by Russia should “not be a surprise.”

      “What is happening in Aleppo and around it now, we warned the Americans about this in advance, and they know that we will be actively supporting the Syrian army from the air to prevent terrorists from seizing territory,” he told a press conference.

      Washington “is asking us and Syrian leadership to delay airstrikes” until opposition forces are separated from extremists of ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, he said.

      “We believe there has been more than enough time” for that, he said.

      “Everyone who has not left the terrorists now only have themselves to blame.”

      Et en version originale : Лавров : Россия будет активно помогать Сирии с воздуха
      http://rg.ru/2016/06/06/lavrov-rossiia-budet-aktivno-pomogat-sirii-s-vozduha.html

      Россия будет активно поддерживать с воздуха действия сирийской армии под Алеппо, чтобы не допустить захвата террористами территорий, заявил глава МИД РФ Сергей Лавров.

      «Что касается происходящего сейчас в Алеппо и вокруг него, и об этом заранее предупреждали американцев, мы будем самым активным образом поддерживать с воздуха сирийскую армию для того, чтобы не допустить захвата террористами территорий», - отметил Лавров.

      При этом министр подчеркнул, что Москва рассчитывает на честное сотрудничество с партнерами. В то же время Лавров отметил, что «те, кто не отмежевался от террористов, должны пенять на себя».

      «США не выполняют взятые на себя обязательства отмежевать лояльные им оппозиционные отряды от позиции»Джабхат ан-Нусры" (запрещена в РФ - «РГ») и прочих террористов, - сказал Лавров. - Не будучи способными это сделать, американцы ссылаются на то, что позиции хороших и плохих оппозиционеров перемешаны и просят нас и сирийское руководство повременить с ударами с воздуха".

  • Une entente dans la course vers Raqqa ?
    Selon Interfax cité par Reuters les Russes, par la voix de Lavrov, se déclarent prêts à coopérer avec la coalition dirigée par les Etats-Unis pour la prise de Raqqa. Lavrov, l’air de rien, laisse entendre qu’une certaine division du travail aurait même été proposée à l’intiative des Américains. Et l’air de rien, nouveau petit message en direction d’Ankara et de Ryadh après l’article de Goldberg #Obama_doctrine
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-raqqa-idUSKCN0WG0IC

    Russia ready to cooperate with U.S.-led coalition in fight for Syria’s Raqqa: Interfax
    Russia is ready to coordinate its actions with the U.S.-led coalition in Syria to push the Islamic State group out of Raqqa, Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.
    “We are ready to coordinate our actions with the Americans, because Raqqa is in the eastern part of Syria, and the American coalition is mainly ... acting there,” Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying in an interview with the Ren-TV television channel.
    “Perhaps, this is no secret, if I say that at some stage the
    Americans suggested performing a ’division of labor’: the Russian Air Forces should concentrate on the liberation of Palmyra, and the American coalition with Russian support will focus on the liberation of Raqqa,” the minister added.

    #course_vers_Raqqa #Syrie #Daech #Russie

  • Russia ready to cooperate with US-led coalition in fight for Syria’s Raqqa: Interfax | Reuters

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-raqqa-idUSKCN0WG0IC

    http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20160314&t=2&i=1124672433&w=&fh=545px&fw=&ll=&pl=&sq=&r=LYN

    Russia is ready to coordinate its actions with the U.S.-led coalition in Syria to push the Islamic State group out of Raqqa, Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

    #syrie #russie #états-unis #daesh

  • In #Ukraine, #Google translates Russia as ‘Mordor’ and top diplomat’s name as ‘sad little horse’ - The Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/01/05/where-is-russia-actually-mordor-in-the-world-of-google-translate

    Those who tried to use Google Translate to switch Ukrainian into Russian this week may have found an unexpected message in their documents: The “Russian Federation” turned into “Mordor,” and Russia’s top diplomat was translated as a “sad little horse.”

    It was unclear whether the cheeky messages were the result of a hack or someone at Google trying to send a message, and the problem was solved by late afternoon Tuesday, Moscow time. But the problem persisted for at least a day, according to Ukrainian media.

    A “Russian” was also translated as an “occupant.” No word yet on whether Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has lodged an official complaint over his last name being translated as “sad little horse,” or “grustnaya loshadka.”

    #Google_translate hack

  • Russia warns Turkey and Qatar - PravdaReport
    http://www.pravdareport.com/russia/politics/19-11-2015/132648-russia_qatar-0

    In the fight against terrorism, Russia will act in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. The article regulates the right to self-defense for a state, Putin stated. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed out at a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart that Russia would be implementing the article by all means - military, diplomatic and financial ones.

    Article 51 of the UN Charter says that the Charter in no way impairs the inherent right for individual or collective self-defense in case of an armed attack on a UN member, until the UN Security Council takes measures to maintain international peace and security."

    La nouvelle est bien entendue immédiatement commentée (très positivement) dans une certaine presse arabe : http://www.raialyoum.com/?p=347712

    Plus que jamais terrible #wahhabite_bashing

  • Russia wants Vienna talks to define terrorist groups in Syria
    http://www.trust.org/item/20151110134352-j4yix/?source=search

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia wants to see an agreement reached at forthcoming peace talks in Vienna that would define a list of terrorist groups operating in Syria.

    He said that such an agreement would be “a step forward”.

    Euh, c’est comme si c’était fait !

  • Syria war: Russia ’is ready to assist FSA rebels’ - BBC News
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34627441

    Russia says it is ready to help US-backed rebels in Syria in their battle against militant organisations like the Islamic State group.

    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Russian air force could support the Free Syrian Army provided the US shares information about rebel positions.
    The FSA has so far been among the rebel groups targeted by Russian strikes which have drawn Western criticism.

  • Lavrov gives Kerry document comparing Minsk II provisions with what was done by parties to Ukrainian conflict
    http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/lavrov-gives-kerry-document-comparing-minsk-ii-provisions-with-what-was-do

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has given the United States Secretary of State John Kerry a document comparing what was written down in the Minsk II to what has been done about it by the parties to the Ukrainian conflict.

    (intégralité de la brève)

  • Russia’s Lavrov says Moscow to continue military support of Syria - reports | Reuters
    http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/09/13/uk-russia-syria-lavrov-idUKKCN0RD0EE20150913

    Russia will continue with military supplies to Syria, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Sunday.

    Moscow has come under increased international pressure in recent days over what Washington and Gulf states say is a Russian military build-up in Syria, where the Kremlin has been supporting President Bashar al-Assad in a four-and-a-half-year war.

    There were military supplies, they are ongoing and they will continue. They are inevitably accompanied by Russian specialists, who help to adjust the equipment, to train Syrian personnel how to use these weaponry,” Lavrov said.

    Lavrov also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is travelling to New York for the U.N. General Assembly meeting later this month, plans to address the assembly on the topics of Syria, the conflict in Ukraine, the state of the global economy and sanctions against Russia.

    He (Putin) will touch specific aspects, such as Syria, the Ukraine crisis. All these crises arise from systemic problems regarding attempts to freeze the process of forming polycentric world,” Lavrov said.

    Ah ben non, fournir des armes à des acteurs du conflit syrien, c’est vraiment pas bien !

  • ’Significant Progress’ Reported At Ukraine Peace Talks In Berlin
    http://www.rferl.org/content/article/27244732.html

    German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said “significant progress” had been made toward a resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

    Speaking after a three-and-a-half-hour meeting with his French, Russian, and Ukrainian counterparts in Berlin on September 12, Steinmeier said the talks had been “less confrontational” than previous ones and that the ministers “made headway in some critical things.”

    Steinmeier said the warring sides were now “very close” to an agreement on withdrawing weapons from the front line between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists.
    […]
    Germany’s top diplomat also said there was some progress on the legal groundwork toward holding local elections in eastern Ukraine.

    Ukraine scheduled its vote on October 25, while self-proclaimed leaders of the rebel-controlled Luhansk and Donetsk regions said they would hold their own elections on October 18 and November 1, respectively, drawing protests from Kyiv.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said differences remained on the issue, but “the general impression is that these differences can be overcome.

    Earlier in Kyiv, the secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Lamberto Zannier, said the cease-fire had held for more than 10 days, opening space “to make progress on a political level.

  • Kerry Tells Lavrov U.S. Concerned Over Reports Of Russian Military Move In Syria
    http://www.rferl.org/content/us-kerry-lavrov-russia-military-syria-assad/27229339.html

    U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed concern over reports of “an imminent Russian military buildup” in Syria in a September 5 telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

    The secretary made clear that if such reports were accurate, these actions could further escalate the conflict, lead to greater loss of innocent life, increase refugee flows and risk confrontation with the anti-[Islamic State] coalition operating in Syria,” the State Department said in a press release. 

    Kerry and Lavrov agreed that discussions on the Syrian conflict will continue later this month in New York, where the UN General Assembly meets.

    Western media reports suggest that Russia may have recently deployed military personnel and aircraft in Syria.

    Ah ouais, tout s’explique ! l’augmentation des réfugiés, c’est la faute à Poutine : ils fuient la prochaine intervention russe !

    En plus, s’il intervient (de façon irresponsable) en Syrie (contre l’État islamique, il faut imaginer, puisque Kerry ne le dit pas) il risque de provoquer une confrontation avec la coalition anti-état islamique.

  • Russia says Kiev s refusal to negotiate with rebels alarming - Yahoo7
    https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/28669227/russia-says-kievs-refusal-to-negotiate-with-rebels-alarming

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday said Ukraine’s perceived failure to agree with rebels on implementing a peace deal was “alarming” and urged the West to pressure Kiev.

    The situation is alarming because we’re witnessing a tendency, if you will,” Russia’s top diplomat told reporters.

    Starting with a state coup (Russia’s description of the Maidan protests), the current Kiev authorities have routinely demonstrated their inability to come to an agreement,” Lavrov said after talks with his counterpart from Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn.

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s proposed constitutional changes have triggered a surge in tensions between Kiev and Moscow-backed rebels that have been battling government forces since April 2014.

    Lavrov said Russia was especially concerned that, in its view, the draft constitution did not honour a “single requirement” of a peace deal brokered by Germany and France in the Belarussian capital Minsk in February.

    Russia is deeply concerned by Kiev’s inability or unwillingness to implement a requirement to agree with Donetsk and Lugansk on the ways of implementing local elections and involving representatives in work on the new constitution,” Lavrov said.

    He added that the Kiev authorities were “torpedoing” the peace agreement and refusing to directly negotiate with rebels, urging the West to pressure Ukrainian authorities to honour the deal.

  • L’extension massive de l’OCS (Inde, Iran, Pakistan) est en vue
    http://www.dedefensa.org/article-l_extension_massive_de_l_ocs_inde_iran_pakistan_est_en_vue_27_02_

    @TITREBREVE = L’extension massive de l’OCS (Inde, Iran, Pakistan) est en vue Le ministre russe des affaires étrangères Sergei Lavrov a confirmé de manière officielle les bruits et les hypothèses développés depuis deux ans. Il a annoncé la probabilité d’une décision de l’Organisation de Coopération de Shanghai, lors de son sommet de juillet à Oufa, en Russie, de l’extension de cette organisation à de nouveaux membres, et notamment les plus importants, – l’Inde, l’Iran et le Pakistan, trois pays

  • Western Illusions Over Ukraine - NYTimes.com
    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/10/opinion/roger-cohen-western-illusions-over-ukraine.html?_r=1

    The most difficult thing for a communist, it has been observed, is to predict the past. I was reminded of this as I listened to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in full Soviet mode at the Munich Security Conference, suggesting that after World War II it was “the Soviet Union that was against splitting Germany.”

    People laughed; they guffawed. Germans recall the Soviet clamp on the east of the country and the Berlin Wall. But in a way Lavrov was right: The Soviet Union would have been quite happy to swallow all of Germany, given the chance.

    Today, in similar fashion, President Vladimir Putin’s Russia would be quite happy to absorb all of Ukraine, which it views as an extension of the motherland, an upstart deluded by the West into imagining independent statehood.

    Avec une connaissance et une compréhension aussi complètes du passé et du présent, il est aisé d’en inférer sa vision du futur :

    There is a language Moscow understands: antitank missiles, battlefield radars, reconnaissance drones. Bolster the Ukrainian Army with them and other arms. Change Putin’s cost-benefit analysis. There are risks but no policy is risk-free. Recall that Ukraine gave up more than 1,800 nuclear warheads in exchange for that bogus commitment from Russia back in 1994 to respect its sovereignty and borders. Surely it has thereby earned the right to something more than night-vision goggles. The West’s current Ukraine diplomacy is long on illusion and short on realism. Two plus two equals four, in war and peace.

    (début et fin de l’article…)

  • Secret Dialogue Between Syrian Regime and Opposition in Beirut
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/23614

    Beirut has now joined the list of cities where meetings between the Syrian government and opposition have taken place. In an effort to find a political solution out of the Syrian predicament, the Norwegian government is sponsoring an intra-Syrian dialogue in #Lebanon under the supervision of Reverend Dr. #Riad_Jarjour. Will they remain low-level meetings or will we witness a ‘Beirut I’ conference on #syria?

    #Articles #Austria #Børge_Brende #Geneva #Moaz_al-Khatib #Norway #Russia #Sergei_Lavrov #Syrian_National_Coalition #Syrian_opposition #Mideast_&_North_Africa