European allies of the U.S. are reporting that Russia has quietly begun to make plans on dealing with a post-Assad Syria.
Russia has been a staunch supporter of the Syrian president throughout the civil war and has blocked United Nations actions against Syria on multiple occasions. Now, sources say the Russians are telling other diplomats they are not fixated on Assad.
“The Russians say they are not married to Assad,” a European diplomat told Fox News. “They are looking for true alternatives to Assad.”
The Russian Embassy in Washington declined to comment on Fox’s report repeating their believe that the Syrian people should decide Syria’s destiny.
Western government and Russia have been trying to get both sides of the Syrian civil war to the bargaining table but have acknowledged that it is unlikely to take place before the end of the year.
The U.S. and Russia reached an agreement on a draft resolution for ridding Syria of chemical weapons and have brought it to the full UN Security Council.
UN diplomats said a vote in the 15-member Security Council could take place on Friday and break a deadlock in the UN over how to deal with Syria. Russia and China have blocked Western-led resolutions against the al-Assad government three times. Continue reading →
The United Nations confirmed on Thursday they have received the necessary paperwork from the Syrian government to become a part of the Chemical Weapons Convention. The CWC outlaws production and use of chemical weapons.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Russian TV that his administration would be submitting weapons data within one month of signing the papers to join the CWC. Continue reading →
European Commission officials are warning Russia to stop “unacceptable” threats against former Soviet states that have been looking to develop closer ties to the EU.
Russia banned imports of wine and spirits from Moldova in what’s believed to be a strike against the country for looking to work with the EU. Ukraine and Armenia have also said that Russia has taken action against them for looking into the EU. Continue reading →
The U.N. inspection team has reportedly collected a “wealth” of evidence regarding the use of chemical weapons by the government of Bashir al-Assad…but will not actually make a direct accusation against it.
Three U.N. diplomats connected to the investigation have told Foreign Policy magazine the team will present a very strong circumstantial case pointing strongly in the direction of the Syrian government. Continue reading →
Russia’s plan to have Syria surrender all chemical weapons is causing problems at the United Nations as multiple countries demand specific dates for the handoff.
The U.K., U.S. and France are demanding a timetable and consequences for that timetable not being met by Syria. American officials said they will “not fall for stalling tactics.” Continue reading →
Russia surprised the international community by announcing Monday they would push for Syria to surrender their chemical weapons to an international group and then quickly dismantle them in an attempt to stave off a U.S. missile strike.
The announcement came hours after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had said Syrian President Assad could resolve the crisis by surrendering the weapons. Kerry also said he believed Assad “isn’t about to do it.” Continue reading →
The Arab League has officially blamed the Syrian government for the chemical weapons attack that killed over 300 civilians one week ago.
The group held an emergency meeting on Tuesday and called for the United Nations Security Council to “overcome their differences” and take action against those who committed “this heinous crime”. The ministerial level of the League is meeting next week to discuss next steps against Syria. Continue reading →
The Syrian government, almost a week after a chemical weapons attack killed more than 300 people, is finally allowing United Nations inspectors to visit the site.
The team is scheduled to arrive some time Monday although U.K. Foreign Secretary William Teague says evidence could have been tampered with, degraded or even destroyed in the days since the Wednesday attack. Continue reading →
The Amur river in eastern Russia has overflowed its banks and forced more than 20,000 people to flee flood waters.
RIA Novosti news agency says the Army and emergency workers have over 160 shelters set up providing clean water, hot food and medical supplies. Continue reading →