Militants will either leave Aleppo or be considered terrorists - Lavrov
The draft resolution on Aleppo prepared by Egypt, New Zealand and Spain, which will be considered by the UN Security Council today, is provocative and aimed at maintaining the presence of militants in eastern Aleppo. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this today.
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“Putting this project to a vote would be counterproductive, since it runs counter to the approaches currently being agreed upon by Moscow and Washington, which are co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group,” Lavrov said.
He explained that in the coming days, work by Russian and American experts will begin in Geneva, the goal of which is the complete withdrawal of militants from Aleppo.
“Specific routes and timing for the release of militants will be agreed upon. As soon as they are agreed upon, a ceasefire will come into force in order to begin the evacuation of these units. If Russian-American interaction on these issues produces results (and we have every reason to believe so), the problem of eastern Aleppo will be resolved. Armed groups that refuse to leave eastern Aleppo will be considered terrorists,” Lavrov said.
As for the UN Security Council resolution, the minister explained, it is not about the departure of militants, but about a ceasefire.
“Moreover, no demands are made on the militants. They are given 10 days (this is a considerable period of time) to decide whether they are ready to join the truce. We have no doubt, given the experience of previous pauses, that the kind of respite that enthusiasts of the resolution want to provide to the militants will be used by them to regroup and replenish forces and resources. This would make it difficult to liberate eastern Aleppo from them and prolong the suffering of its residents,” Lavrov said.
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