Syrians must determine their own destiny, Russia says

In a meeting with Syrian Ambassador Riyad Haddad on Friday in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said intra-Syrian political negotiations to end the crisis should start as soon as possible, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
 
According to a statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Bogdanov stated that “to end sufferings of the civilian population in Syria, it is necessary to immediately stop any violence, no matter where it is coming from, and start a political settlement process involving Syrians themselves, based on the international community's consensus decisions, that is, the Action Group's Geneva communiqué and the Kofi Annan plan.”
 
The two officials discussed “the situation in Syria and around it, particularly the outcomes of an August 30 UN Security Council meeting dealing with the humanitarian situation in this country.”
 
Russian and Syrian officials agreed that “unilateral economic sanctions imposed by a number of states and regional associations seriously complicated the lives of ordinary Syrian people,” it added.
 
    Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Damascus says outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorists are the driving factor behind the unrest and deadly violence while the opposition accuses the security forces of being behind the killings.
 
 
The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the armed militants are foreign nationals.
 
Damascus also says the insurgents are supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
 
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on August 1 that the country is engaged in a “crucial and heroic” battle that will determine the destiny of the nation.