Russia Calls for Full Support of Annan’s Solution

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has called for full support of envoy Kofi Annan‘s peace mission in Syria “on all levels,” saying it may be the last chance to avoid a “prolonged and bloody civil war.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a statement saying, ”[the international community's cooperation with Annan] means no interference in Syria’s internal affairs and the inadmissibility of supporting one side in the conflict.” Meanwhile, as the violence continued in Syria, reports surfaced that regime forces were using civilians as human shields by having them march in a row in front of them. ”By using civilians as human shields, the Syrian army is showing blatant disregard for their safety,” said Ole Solvang, emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The Syrian army should immediately stop this abhorrent practice.”

Elliott Abrams describes the E.U. shopping sanctions against Bashar Al Assad‘s wife “pathetic,” and writes, “Sooner or later—and one must hope that it’s sooner—we will move beyond speeches and resolutions, and give genuinely useful aid to Syrians who are fighting the regime. Stopping the shopping won’t remedy that.” And now, reports say the U.S. and Turkey have agreed on the next steps in Syria. President Barack Obama discussed providing medical supplies and communications equipment to the Syrian opposition with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. ”Studies are under way,” Erdogan said. “It would depend on developments. The ‘right to protection’ may be put into use, according to international rules. We are trying to find a solution by engaging Russia, China and Iran.”