UN/ MOSCOW (SANA)_Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vitaly Churkin warned that any unilateral action by the Syrian opposition will harm the serious efforts for preparing for the political process.

Commenting on reports that the Doha Coalition intends to open offices in New York and Washington, the Russian diplomat said that ''Russia is willing to hold talks with the Syrian opposition in order to encourage dialogue,'' but said Moscow will block any efforts by the opposition to send delegates to the UN.

ITAR-TASS quoted Churkin as saying that Russia objects talk about using these offices' proximity to the UN headquarter to gain political influence, ''If such attempts emerge, we intend to block them,'' he added.

Russian Foreign Ministry Stresses ME and North Africa Peoples' Right to Decide their Destiny

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa can and should decide their own destiny independently without foreign intervention, and address their internal issues according to law and through an encompassing national dialogue, which fully and particularly applies to Syria.

In a statement on Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said ''The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is visiting Algeria on February 11th to hold talks with the officials there that tackle the situation in the region.''

The statement indicated that Moscow highly values its multi-faceted relations with Algeria and is bent on pressing ahead with coordinating efforts for enhancing the central role of the UN and the Security Council, safeguarding peace and stability in the world, and solving regional conflicts through political and diplomatic means.

Grushko: Deployment of Patriot Missiles in Turkey Contradicts Logic of Seeking Solutions

Russia's envoy to NATO, Alexander Grushko said that the deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey by NATO at the request of the Turkish side contradicts the logic of seeking solutions to the crisis in Syria.

In statements in Brussels published in Moscow on Saturday, Grushko said ''the situation needs not a military muscle-flexing, but exerting vital efforts to launch a political process based on Geneva agreement to end violence, end combat operations and form a transitional body in Syria.''

Grushko said Moscow takes into consideration the statements of NATO leaders that the patriot systems are not designed for creating a' no-fly zone' or 'humanitarian corridors' and that the missile systems were set up in a way that cannot affect the Syrian airspace, hoping these pledges would be met.

Grushko said he believes the deployment of patriot missiles in Turkey is a step towards internationalizing the crisis in Syria.

M. Ismael