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Russia and US trade blows over Syria
President Putin's spokesman said Russia's position on Syria 'is balanced and consistent and competely logical'
US charges Russia with pushing Syria into civil war, as Moscow implies White House response to conflict is emotional.
Moscow and Washington have traded fierce diplomatic blows over Syria with US charges that Russia was pushing its ally into civil war and the Kremlin accusing the White House of being emotional.
Russia has made it clear from the start that Putin will not be swayed by Western and Arab world anger over his refusal to back action against a Middle East government that Moscow has held patronage over since Soviet times.
Russia insists that it is not supporting the government of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, but rather respect for international law and the policy of non-intervention in internal conflicts. ... (Putin's spokesman Dmitry) Peskov said Russia's refusal to back further action against Assad after the Houla massacre and other attacks on civilians was based on an approach "completely free of emotions, which are hardly appropriate here".
Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said: "Russia is scared of losing its influence in Syria. "But if you look a little bit deeper you can see that maybe Russia's position is softening a little bit. It didn't object to the UN statement condemning the violence … in the weekend. "And Sergei Lavrov, the foreign minister, said earlier on in the week that the survival of the Assad government was less important than the stopping of all violence in Syria."
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/05/201253115147529764.html
Russia seems to be increasing uncomfortable being seen as Assad's protector. It has voted for Security Council decisions to insert UN observers into Syria and the condemnation of the governments' use of tanks and artillery in urban areas. Neither of those moves made Bashar very happy.
On the other hand, Russia doesn't want to lose influence in Syria which will probably happen if and when Assad is removed. Conversations in the Kremlin must be very interesting.
