SYRIA: Syria signed up to an Arab peace deal aimed at ending nine months of unrest after Russia advised it to ratify the plan, says Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem

Record ID: 280108

  • Title: SYRIA: Syria signed up to an Arab peace deal aimed at ending nine months of unrest after Russia advised it to ratify the plan, says Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem
  • Date: 20th December 2011
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (DECEMBER 19, 2011) (REUTERS) ( ** BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WALID AL-MOUALEM ARRIVING TO THE NEWS CONFERENCE HALL JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) WALID AL-MOUALEM, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SAYING: "The co-ordination between our Russian friends and us is on a daily basis, whether through the Russian Ambassador to
  • Embargoed: 4th January 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVA22T10KGDRE7BEHB6M1APKZWQE
  • Story Text: Syria signed up to an Arab peace deal aimed at ending nine months of unrest after Russia advised it to ratify the plan, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday (December 19).
    "The coordination between our Russian friends and us is on a daily basis whether through the Russian Ambassador to Damascus or through phone calls with the Russian leadership. So there is no change in the Russian position. Russia's position is clear -- they advised us to sign the protocol and we followed their advice," Moualem told a televised news conference.
    Moscow, a long-time ally of Damascus, stepped up its criticism of President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown on protests in a draft resolution presented to the U.N. Security Council last week.
    Moualem added Syria "welcomes" the monitors who are going to be representatives of Arab countries.
    "Signing the protocol is a start between the Arab League and us and we will welcome the monitors of the Arabic League and they are the monitors who represent the Arab countries", he said.
    The Syrian government agreed last month to sign the protocol aiming to end the crisis in the country.
    The protocol on monitors was signed by Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, after Damascus had previously called for amendments to the plan, the most significant of which is the coordination between the monitors and the government.
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