MOSCOW: Russia said on Friday that the decisions made this week at a Friends of Syria meeting in Rome would encourage extremists to seek power in nearly two-year-long crisis-hit country, Western and Arab governments pledged new aid for Syrian opposition during Rome summit.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that rebel attempts seeking to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad’s government would certainly cause suffering among Syrian civilians, where a nearly two-year-old conflict have claimed more than 70, 000 lives.
The spokesman said the decisions announced at Friends of Syria meeting in Rome would “directly encourage extremists” to take control of Syria
“Decisions taken in Rome, as well as declarations voiced there, in letter and spirit directly encourage extremists to (seek) the seizure of power by force,” he said.
On Thursday, after a meeting in Rome with Syrian National Council chief Al-Khatib, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the US will provide aid worth $60 million, including food rations and medical supplies, to Syrian opposition and direct non-lethal aid to some of its military forces over the coming months.
Kerry heads to Turkey on Friday for talks on how best to further aid rebel efforts.
DND
