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On Friday Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said that he
\ndoesn\u2019t understand, why the media is trying \u201cto make a
\nsensation\u201d<\/i> out of Russian arms shipments to Damascus.<\/p>\n
Washington has distanced itself from US media speculation about alleged Russian sales of Yakhont missiles to the Syrian government. A US State Department spokesperson stated they have no “new” information of Russian missiles shipments to Damascus.<\/p>\n
According to State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, the
\nalleged arms deliveries reported in a New York Times article on
\nThursday had been already been detailed in 2011.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese specific missiles, the Yakhont anti-ship missile, was
\nreported in December of 2011, and I believe in the same report
\nthere was a reference to SA-17s, which was previously reported in
\nApril 2012,\u201d<\/i> she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve consistently raised concerns,
\nas I mentioned, but it seems that these cases that were reported
\nthis morning have been previously reported.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
When asked if Syria has recently received any weapons from Russia,
\nPsaki said that \u201cwe\u2019re not aware of new shipments.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
The spokeswoman stressed that the US would oppose any transfer of
\nweapons or assistance to the forces of Bashar Assad, but added that
\nthe recent reports in the media won\u2019t hamper the joint effort of
\nWashington and Moscow to stage a peace conference on Syria.
\n\u00a0
\u201cOf course there are concerns at the same time simultaneously about
\nany aid being provided to the regime, and that remains the
\ncase,\u201d<\/i> Psaki said. \u201cBut we can still move forward on the
\ntrack towards the conference because we share a commitment to
\nmoving toward a political transition, and that has been the
\ncase.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
On Friday Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said that he
\ndoesn\u2019t understand, why the media is trying \u201cto make a
\nsensation\u201d<\/i> out of Russian arms shipments to Damascus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t hide the fact that we\u2019re supplying weapons to Syria
\nin accordance with previously signed contracts, without violating
\nany international agreements or our own weapon export control
\nlegislation, one of the strictest in the world,\u201d<\/i> he
\nstressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe supply defensive weapons, air defense systems. It doesn\u2019t
\nbreak the balance of power in the region and doesn\u2019t create
\nadvantages in the fight against the opposition.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n
Russia has underlined on numerous occasions any supplies to
\nSyria are according to old contracts, many of which originated
\nduring the Soviet-era. The supplied weapons are tied to
\nmissile-defense and are unlikely to be renewed after their
\ncompletion.<\/p>\n
The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey,
\nhas been quick to criticize Russia after the report in the New York
\nTimes, saying that the alleged Russian missiles would see president
\nAssad feeling a lot safer if it comes to any Western
\nintervention.<\/p>\n
Israel also hurried to blame Russia, expressing their concerns
\nthat the arms may end up in the hands of Hezbollah militants.\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The civil war between the governmental forces of President
\nBashar Assad and Western-backed rebels has been raging in Syria for
\nover two years, with over 70,000 lives lost in the conflict.\u00a0
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Russia and the US are currently working together to hold a
\nconference to facilitate a solution to the Syrian crisis through
\npolitical dialog, which is expected to take place in the Swiss city
\nof Geneva in June.<\/p>\n