Russia says West is "instigating" Syria's rebels

A Syrian boy, who fled his home with his family in Anadan due to fighting between the rebels and the Syrian army, steps on a poster showing Syrian president Bashar Assad in a school where he and his family took refuge, in Kafar Hamra, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012. / AP Photo

(AP) MOSCOW - Russia accused Western powers Wednesday of "openly instigating" Syrian opposition groups to take up arms in their fight to unseat President Bashar Assad.

Moscow has been Syria's key protector throughout the 17-month uprising that has evolved into a full-blown civil war, shielding Assad's regime from international sanctions and providing it with weapons despite an international outcry.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the West "has done nothing" to urge the Syrian opposition to start a dialogue with the government.

"Instead, they are engaged in openly instigating it to continue their armed struggle," it said in a statement.

It claimed that the Western approach to the Syrian civil is "hypocritical" and is not helping to resolve the conflict that has killed an estimated 19,000 people.

Russia and China, both veto-wielding U.N. Security Council members, have blocked proposals to call on Assad to step down.

Russia has said that its opposition to sanctions against Syria is driven not by support for Assad himself, but by a respect for international law that forbids foreign military intervention in internal conflicts without U.N. Security Council authorization.

Russia has called for talks between the Syrian regime and its foes. It staunchly opposes any plans that would demand Assad's ouster, saying that only the Syrian people can decide the country's fate.

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In New York, U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council that the United Nations views the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria "with growing alarm."

He said about 2.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance while the number of displaced people in Syria and the flow of refugees to neighboring countries is growing.

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos, who visited Syria last week, told a news conference at U.N. headquarters that U.N. agencies last month provided food for more than 820,000 people across Syria.

"But when you're talking about 2.5 million people affected, we need to do a lot more," she said.

Feltman and Amos appealed for additional funds to meet the humanitarian needs of Syrians still in the country and the refugees.

During her visit, Amos said she appealed to the Syrian government to allow international aid agencies to deliver food and humanitarian supplies to the needy.

But she said the government will only authorize aid from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and local partners because it is worried that international aid will go to the rebels - despite her repeated assurances that humanitarian aid is neutral and impartial.

The deeply divided Security Council is scheduled to hold a ministerial-level meeting on Aug. 30 on the humanitarian situation in Syria.

CBS

[Filmguy870]

Russia is NO friend. (the spirit of Stalin lives!)

[pcfpgarty]

Well everybody , you can expect our dubious ally , Russia ,to be the odd man out in all issues where we are involved . I have to agree that as we sympathize with the opposition in Syria that it can be seen as instigating by anyone that would prefer to see it that way and the Russians do . In the future they will continue to plant whoopee cushions where ever we assert our opinion , not only in this but other world situations as well. Russia will always be a dropping in the path to compromise .

[tvwatcher5345]

it is not the west, but the pro-israeli neocons in the west and saudi arabia who have teamed up to support the rebels in syia, also the malaki government (the government the pro-iseaeli neocons got put in in iraq) along with iran are supporting assad in syria, these neocons are brilliant, at least their mothers think so!!

[thprop]

You don't talk with despots. You don't leave your wallet and cars keys unattended around thieves. How many times has your conversation been used against you? Once is too many when your liberty and freedom are at stake. The writng is on the wall, and the time is now!

[quincytodd]

The Russians are right. We're not only instigating these self-styled "liberators" but arming them as well. Without this interference by both NATO and the Arab League, this civil may well have ended by now with the "rebels" and the Assad regime working out an agreement. Except for Egypt and Tunisia, the Arab Spring is turning out to be a dismal failure!

[UForgotPoland]

The Rebels didn't "rebel" without a reason, Assad is a tyrant. Not to mention you Republicans were all for "liberating" nations a decade ago (Remember "Operation Iraqi Freedom")no questions asked. Now you guys flipped flopped on the issue simply because there's another man in office. Cons are just sheep listening to their leaders without questions while opposing all opposition no matter the issue, kind of like Assad's thugs.

[Calltwoarms]

Assad doesn't represent the voice of his people and the opposition won't stop until he's gone. Russia is wrong about the western alliance and the Sunni opposition. They want to stop the murder and oppression of the majority in Syria. The Alawites are a minority in Syria yet hold the majority of the power only by family lineage.

The Russians have blocked resolutions to bring the war to an end. They won't allow the war to end unless it's on their terms. Typically the Russians and Chinese have an interest in Syrian oil. The U.S. does not.