Russia’s Putin to meet Annan for Syria talks: Kremlin |http://DAWN.COM http://dawn.com/2012/07/15/russias-putin-to-meet-annan-for-syria-talks-kremlin/ via @dawn_com
7:13 AM - 15 Jul 12 via Tweet Button · Details
Russia’s Putin to meet Annan for Syria talks: Kremlin
AFP | 1 hour ago
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Russia’n President Vladimir Putin. — Reuters
MOSCOW: Syrian peace mediator Kofi Annan was due in Moscow on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin that come amid growing pressure on Russia to finally back the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Kremlin said Sunday the UN-Arab League envoy would arrive in Moscow on Monday and meet Putin the following day for talks in which “Russia will underscore its support the peace plan of Kofi Annan.The Russian side proceeds from the premise that this plan is the only viable platform for solving internal Syrian problems,” the brief Kremlin statement added.
Annan was also scheduled to hold talks with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after first paying a visit to China — a country that along with Russia has blocked two UN Security Council resolutions sanctioning Assad’s regime.
The Moscow visit will be Annan’s second since he won support from former president Dmitry Medvedev for his initial six-point peace initiative for the brutal conflict during talks at Vnukovo 2 airport on March 2
