Lavrov Tells Assad to Ensure Peace
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told President al-Assad of Syria he had to do what it takes to ensure peace in the country, during talks in Damascus on Tuesday. - “Every leader in every country should understand their responsibility. You understand yours,” Lavrov told Assad, adding "it's in our interests that the Arab peoples live in peace and harmony." Lavrov’s visit comes three days after Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the violent crackdown in Syria. He arrived along with his Foreign Intelligence Service chief Mikhail Fradkov. Lavrov had not revealed the purpose of his mission, telling a news conference in Moscow on Monday it would be “unveiled only to the addressee.”