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Armed Groups Not Observing Truce Will Be Held to Account: Lavrov

"All those armed formations that have not joined the regime of calm, or joined it but do not observe it, should bear all responsibility”
Armed Groups Not Observing Truce Will Be Held to Account: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed the time has come for armed opposition groups to join the ceasefire agreement and distance themselves from terror groups in Syria or bear all responsibility.

During a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Moscow, Lavrov said: “It is a very important issue to dissociate the Syrian opposition from terrorists to prevent the triumph of terrorists in Syria and to promote intra-Syrian political dialogue,” adding that a delay is bad in the fight against terrorism.

“Many months have passed since the UN Security Council approved decisions of the Syria Support Group, this is more than enough time for any armed formation to make its choice: join the regime of cessation of fire or not,” Lavrov said.

He added: “Along with the Islamic State and Nusra Front, all those armed formations that have not joined the regime of calm, or joined it but do not observe it, should bear all responsibility.”

“I hope that the United States, which agreed with that logic, will join us in practical actions to prevent the current situation from being used to strengthen the positions of terrorists on the ground,” he said.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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