Russia’s Lavrov Warns Against Military Intervention in Syria

MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – Attempts to label the Geneva-2 talks as a failure and to press for a military intervention in Syria are unacceptable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

Growing efforts to depict the Geneva-2 talks as unsuccessful suggest that somebody is seeking a military solution to the Syrian crisis, Lavrov said after a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

Lavrov urged the warring sides in the Syrian conflict to continue direct dialogue within the Geneva-2 format.

Peace talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition broke down last Friday without tangible results after three weeks of intense negotiations. No date has been set to resume discussions in the near future.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed Wednesday that the Geneva process was the best way to resolve the Syrian conflict and he expressed hope that negotiations will continue.

By UN estimates, some 130,000 people have been killed and up to 7 million have been displaced in the ongoing civil war in Syria since 2011.