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Moscow Urges UNSC To Discuss Syrian Rebels' Siege Of Christian Town

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  • Moscow Urges UNSC To Discuss Syrian Rebels' Siege Of Christian Town

    MOSCOW URGES UNSC TO DISCUSS SYRIAN REBELS' SIEGE OF CHRISTIAN TOWN OF KESSAB

    Russia Today
    April 1 2014

    Published time: April 01, 2014 22:22
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    The Christian majority town of Kessab, Syria, March 27, 2014. (Still
    from AP video)

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    Tags

    Conflict, Crime, Human rights, Law, Russia, Security, Syria, Turkey,
    UN, Violence, War

    Russia urged the UN Security Council to discuss the situation in
    Syria's Christian majority town of Kessab, after Al-Qaeda-linked
    militants reportedly attacked the town, the Russian Foreign Ministry
    stated.

    "The UN Security Council should discuss the situation in Kessab and
    give it a principled evaluation," it stated. "We condemn extremists'
    actions in Syria. We believe that the Syrian government and the
    opposition should join efforts to eradicate terrorism on the Syrian
    land."

    On March 21, jihadists reportedly crossed into Syria from Turkey
    and seized the town in Latakia province, home to over 2,000 ethnic
    Armenians. The attack caused hundreds of local families, mainly
    Armenian, to flee their homes and seek shelter in the city of Latakia.

    Russia's Foreign Ministry noted that there were no military objects on
    the attacked territory and added that the only fault of the families,
    who were forced to flee, was their loyalty to Syria's government.

    Syria's permanent representative to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, told RT
    Arabic that Syria is hoping the UN will help resolve the situation in
    Kessab. In the past week, Syria sent five letters to the UN Security
    Council and the General Secretary. "These letters contain detailed
    information about Turkish direct involvement in the crisis by providing
    protection to terrorist groups that are operating in the Kessab area,"
    Jaafari said.

    He further added that military groups managed to get to Kessab under
    the cover of Turkish artillery strikes, Turkish aviation, and tanks,
    which were all used as a distraction.

    "This allowed the terrorists to avoid direct clashes with the Syrian
    army...unleashed [the terrorists'] hands to carry out their heinous,
    unspeakable crimes."

    Earlier, the Armenian government also called on the UN to protect
    Kessab, evoked the Armenian genocide of 1915, and accused Turkey of
    allowing jihadists cross its border to attack Kessab. In turn, Ankara
    slammed the accusations and condemned the charge as "confrontational
    political propaganda."

    The attack on Kessab was reportedly carried out by fighters from the
    Al-Nusra Front, an Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group in Syria, and the
    Islamist Ahrar al-Sham brigade, part of the Islamic Front alliance.

    Earlier this week, the Syrian army launched an operation to force
    the militants out of the town.

    The situation escalated on March 23 when Turkey shot down a Syrian
    Air Force jet at the Kessab crossing. Turkish Prime Minister Recep
    Tayyip Erdogan said the plane was intercepted after it violated his
    country's airspace.

    In response, Damascus accused Ankara of "blatant aggression," saying
    the fighter jet had been over Syria. The Syrian pilot said a Turksih
    aircraft fired a missile at him while he was pursuing terrorists
    within Syrian territories, SANA news agency reported.

    http://rt.com/news/moscow-un-syria-kessab-693/


    From: Baghdasarian
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