Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Moscow, SANA- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the UN Security Council resolution no. 2401 which stipulates for the cessation of combat activities for at least 30 days does not include the terrorist organizations of Daesh (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra and the groups associated with them, and therefore the operations of the Syrian Army will continue against them.
In a press conference with his Portuguese counterpart Augusto Santos Silva in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov said there are armed groups, whether in the Eastern Ghouta or in Idleb, which are represented by their western sponsors as “moderate” groups such as Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam but these groups cooperate with al-Nusra, which is listed by the United Nations Security Council as a terrorist organization, and this makes them not covered by resolution no. 2401 and therefore they are legitimate targets for the operations of the Syrian Army and its allies.
Lavrov has touched upon the allegations that the Syrian army is responsible for a chlorine gas attack in the Eastern Ghouta, saying these claims are acts of provocation and media misinformation, saying that they aim to derail the cessation of combat operations in the region.
He said that Russia has warned that terrorists may resort to such methods by broadcasting fabricated news about the use of chemical weapons, adding that such information is published by the so-called “White Helmets” and the London-based “Syrian Observatory for Human Rights” as well as sources located in the United States.
The Russian top diplomat pointed out that Russia will continue to talk to the Americans and the members of the “international coalition” as it will ask for an explanation for the actions that violate the unity of the Syrian territory, despite the UNSC resolution no. 2401 clearly stressing the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Manar al-Freih / Hazem Sabbagh
