Russia’s foreign minister has dismissed calls for a UN arms embargo on Syria and said the international community should stop threatening Damascus with ultimatums.
Sergei Lavrov’s comments came after the United States and the European Union on November 28 called for the UN Security Council to take action in response to alleged atrocities committed by Syrian regime forces during an eight-month crackdown on protesters.
Also on November 28, the UN Human Rights Council said that Syrian troops and security forces had committed crimes against humanity, including murder, torture, and rape after orders were given from the “highest levels” of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
The Arab League has imposed sanctions on Syria over the violence which the United Nations says has killed more than 3,500 people since March.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, in a TV interview on November 29 said the international community may decide a buffer zone is needed in Syria if hundreds of thousands of people try to flee the violence there.
Meanwhile, the Turkish transport minister, Binali Yildirim, said that Turkey is considering using Iraq as a transit route for trade with the Middle East if the situation in Syria deteriorates further.
compiled from agency reports