BEIJING - Russia's priority for Syria is to persuade all sides to negotiate a peaceful end to the crisis, an adviser to President Dmitry Medvedev said Saturday on the eve of talks with the UN and Arab League envoy to the country.
Russia, along with China, vetoed a UN Security Council resolution aimed at pressuring Syrian leader Bashar Assad, complaining that the measure did not call for Assad's opposition to stop fighting. But Russia has supported Kofi Annan's activities as envoy.
Medvedev's foreign policy adviser, Sergei Prikhodko, said in a briefing statement Saturday that Russia's top priority for Syria is a swift halt to the violence and to persuade the opposition "to sit at the negotiating table with government representatives and reach a peaceful resolution of the crisis."
Syria is Moscow's last remaining ally in the Middle East and is a major customer for Russia's arms industry. But Moscow has recently shown impatience with Syria, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointedly saying Assad has been slow to take Russia's suggestions on reform.
Russia also contends the opposition forces in Syria include al Qaeda-backed militants and it is sharply critical of the "Friends of Syria" group of nations that last month pledged support for the Syrian opposition.
A meeting of that group is set for April 1 in Istanbul, and Prikhodko dismissed them, saying "It is unlikely that the way to resolve the Syrian crisis can be found in the framework of organizations such as the Friends of Syria."
