RUSSIA: Syrian Ambassador Riyad Haddad says Moscow is not supplying the government with attack helicopters

Record ID: 280972

  • Title: RUSSIA: Syrian Ambassador Riyad Haddad says Moscow is not supplying the government with attack helicopters
  • Date: 15th June 2012
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (JUNE 14, 2012) (REUTERS) SYRIA'S AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA RIYAD HADDAD ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM, TAKING SEAT CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIA'S AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA RIYAD HADDAD, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL TRANSLATION): "We all heard Mr. Lavrov yesterday at a news conference in Tehran where he said that Russia sells Syria weapons under c
  • Embargoed: 30th June 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVADAYXAO6Y1PEIOF6S077NYPYV4
  • Story Text: Syria's ambassador to Moscow Riyad Haddad said on Thursday (June 14) that Russia is not supplying Syria's government with attack helicopters, the most specific denial yet from Moscow or Damascus of remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday (June 12) Washington was worried Russia may be sending attack helicopters to Syria and described as "patently untrue" Moscow's argument that its arms transfers to Syria are unrelated to the conflict there.
    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Tehran on Wednesday (June 13) that Russia is not delivering to Syria any weapons that could be used against peaceful demonstrators.
    "We all heard Mr. Lavrov yesterday at a news conference in Tehran where he said that Russia sells Syria weapons under contracts signed many years ago," Ambassador Riyad Haddad said at a news conference in Moscow.
    "Those weapons are not prohibited by any sanctions. It does not contradict the international law, it does not contradict the U.N. Charter. Those weapons are pure air defence. Those are defensive weapons," the ambassador added.
    Haddad told Reuters that Russia is not delivering any helicopters to Syria.
    Russia has faced increasing Western criticism over arms supplies to Syria, where the United Nations says government forces have killed more than 10,000 people in bloodshed that began with a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in March 2011.
    Russia says it is fulfilling existing contracts for supplies of air defence systems, for use against external attacks.
    A source close to Russia's weapons export monopoly Rosoboronexport told Reuters on Wednesday there have been no recent contracts between Russia and Syria for the delivery of new attack helicopters to Damascus, but that Clinton may have been referring to five military helicopters which had been repaired in Russia.
    The Syrian ambassador also blamed the West for the continuing conflict and for the possible collapse of the plan drawn by the U.N. and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan.
    "We can say that Syria is under an organised terrorist attack. We are fighting against this terror. This terror is backed by the world's leading states," Riyad Haddad said.
    "They started talking about the collapse of Kofi Annan's plan even before the start of the plan's implementation. If this plan does indeed collapse, the blame will lie only with the international community which did not help to implement this plan until the very end," he added.
    Russia is one of Syria's principal defenders on the diplomatic front and, as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council with the power to veto resolutions, has stymied efforts by Western powers to pressure President Bashar al-Assad into stepping down.
    Russia is resisting Western and Gulf Arab pressure to take a harder line against Assad, rejecting calls for sanctions and proposing a conference bringing together global and regional powers including Iran.
    The United States says it does not believe Iran, Assad's closest regional ally, is ready to play a constructive role in Syria, where the United Nations says government forces have killed more than 10,000 people since March 2011.
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