Syria: Annan Meets Assad As Violence Continues
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received in Damascus Saturday Kofi Annan, the special envoy of the UN and the Arab League. The meeting at the presidential palace, was held in a “positive atmosphere”, reported the Syrian state television.
Meanwhile, government troops continued its repression and bombarded the rebel city of Idleb. At least ten people were killed
On its part, Russia called for ending violence in Syria and to initiate a political dialogue. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the headquarters of the Arab League, said Saturday: “Moscow gives its full support for the plan of the Arab League on Syria and continues to conduct a dialogue with Damascus.”
According to him, every country in the Middle East and North Africa are friends of Russia, which only wants to defend the rights of the people, their desire for freedom and evolution.
It is very important, according to the Russian Minister, that the international community continue to contribute to the dialogue between the government and opposition. It is the best not to provide support for one party to the conflict, he added.
