Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that the militants who refuse to leave eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo city will be eliminated.
In a press conference with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland in Moscow, Lavrov said that “any way, if somebody refuses to leave Aleppo on good terms, he will be eliminated as I understand. There is no other way out.”
The Russian foreign minister said that the Russia-US agreement on the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo has not been formalized yet.
Commenting on targeting the Russian mobile hospital in Aleppo on Monday, Lavrov said Russia is confident that it was planned previously by those who are trying to maintain their positions and cover their supporters abroad.
“It’s sad that the Western nations, which talk about their concern for human rights and the humanitarian situation in Aleppo and the rest of Syria, are in reality continuing their policy of supporting radicals and extremists,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov announced that Washington suddenly withdrew its own proposal on Aleppo, saying “suddenly, last night we receive from them [the United States] a message that they, unfortunately, will not be able to meet tomorrow [on Wednesday in Geneva], because they changed their minds, their document was withdrawn and now they have a new document, which… changes everything back, and again looks like an attempt to buy time in order to let militants replenish supplies and take a breath.”
“The same thing happened with our agreement of September 9,” Lavrov went on saying. “The thing that the Americans offered on paper and what we backed is now somehow not OK for them. It’s difficult to understand who makes decisions there, but apparently there are plenty of those who want to undermine the authority and practical steps by John Kerry,” he added.
M. al-Frieh/H. Said
