Syria militants not committed to peace

Russia says militants fighting against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are not committed to peace.

“We expect various opposition groups would react in a constructive way. So far, however, the news is discouraging,” Lavrov said during a meeting with Syrian First Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad in Moscow on Wednesday.

“The situation urges for an immediate stop of fighting and the start of a political dialogue,” Lavrov said, adding that the future of Syria must be decided by Syrians themselves.

Meanwhile, in a communiqué issued after a meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria in the Jordanian capital Amman, the alliance said it would “further increase their support for the opposition and take all other steps as necessary.”

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.

In an interview recently broadcast on Turkish television, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control… the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he stated.