Syria gets new premier
7 Jun 2012 2:29 AM GMT
Russia and China will together push forward special envoy Kofi Annan's peace plan for Syria, Russia's foreign minister said on Wednesday, calling for an international meeting over the conflict-torn state.
'We confirmed that we will coordinate our actions on Syria, and that the main thing right now is to carry out Annan's plan and the [UN] Security Council resolution,' Sergei Lavrov said after talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing.
'We think it is necessary to call a meeting of countries that truly have an influence on various opposition groups,' he added, citing the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League, the European Union, Turkey and Iran.
Chinese and Russian leaders - both attending a regional security summit in Beijing on Wednesday - have remained in lockstep over Syria, opposing foreign intervention and forced regime change in the conflict-torn nation.
The two nations vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions criticising President Bashar al-Assad's regime earlier this year, but they have also voiced support for UN-Arab League special envoy Annan's six-point peace plan. But as Syrian government troops continue to fight armed rebels in a conflict that has now lasted 15 months, doubts have emerged over the effectiveness of Annan's plan, which came into effect mid-April.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday appointed agriculture minister Riad Hijab as the strife-torn country's new premier and tasked him with forming a government, state television reported.
'We confirmed that we will coordinate our actions on Syria, and that the main thing right now is to carry out Annan's plan and the [UN] Security Council resolution,' Sergei Lavrov said after talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing.
'We think it is necessary to call a meeting of countries that truly have an influence on various opposition groups,' he added, citing the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League, the European Union, Turkey and Iran.
Chinese and Russian leaders - both attending a regional security summit in Beijing on Wednesday - have remained in lockstep over Syria, opposing foreign intervention and forced regime change in the conflict-torn nation.
The two nations vetoed two UN Security Council resolutions criticising President Bashar al-Assad's regime earlier this year, but they have also voiced support for UN-Arab League special envoy Annan's six-point peace plan. But as Syrian government troops continue to fight armed rebels in a conflict that has now lasted 15 months, doubts have emerged over the effectiveness of Annan's plan, which came into effect mid-April.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday appointed agriculture minister Riad Hijab as the strife-torn country's new premier and tasked him with forming a government, state television reported.
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