BEIRUT, Lebanon — As fierce fighting continued in the city of Aleppo and its outskirts on Sunday, the Syrian foreign minister, on a visit to Iran, lashed out at Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, blaming them for the escalation of violence and saying that their backing of armed groups in Syria was blocking a path toward “political dialogue.”
His words, an echo of comments made by Syria’s most important ally Russia, reflected the growing pressures on the Syrian government as its fights a growing and emboldened armed insurgency on several fronts, most crucially in Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city.
The minister, Walid al-Moallem, said fighters from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq had entered Syria over the Turkish border and he called on Lebanon to help block the infiltration of “terrorists.”
“The campaign on the international stage against Syria will not stop,” he said.
His comments came as the Syrian Army used tanks and artillery to pound opposition strongholds in Aleppo, continuing its barrage on a city that for days has been steeling for an assault, residents and activists said. It remained unclear whether the attack, which activists said was focused mainly on the southwestern neighborhood of Salaheddiin, was the beginning of a broader campaign.
In Dubai on Sunday, a leader of a Syrian opposition group appealed for countries opposed to the Syrian government to provide rebels with heavy weapons.
“The rebels are fighting with primitive weapons. We want weapons that we can stop tanks and planes with. This is what we want,” Abdelbasset Sida, the head of the Syrian National Council, said in Dubai, according to Reuters..
The clashes came after days of warnings from the international community about the human toll in Aleppo, Syria‘s largest city and its commercial center, as President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces massed on the outskirts of the city. For days, rebel fighters have been pouring into Salaheddiin and other neighborhoods in Aleppo, which had remained quiet for much of the uprising that started in March 2011.
On Saturday, Russia, Mr. Assad’s most important ally, joined the chorus, warning of tragedy as it chastised the rebels’ foreign backers for failing to pressure the opposition to end the violence.
Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, called on Mr. Assad’s government to “make the first moves” in ceasing military action. But he also blamed Western countries and some of Syria’s neighbors for not putting enough pressure on the armed opposition to stop fighting.
Speaking in Sochi, Russia, Mr. Lavrov said that those countries “encourage, support and direct the armed fight against the regime.”
Although he did not name any countries, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been helping the Syrian rebels obtain weapons and American officials say United States intelligence officers are operating in southern Turkey to help decide which groups receive the arms.
Russia said this month that it would halt any weapons shipments to the government of Mr. Assad. On Saturday, though, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it would not cooperate with a European Union effort to block such shipments by searching ships suspected of carrying weapons to Syria.
A ministry spokesman said Russia considered the plan to inspect ships a violation of other countries’ sovereignty.
In comments to the Interfax news service, Mr. Lavrov dismissed the notion that Russia would grant Mr. Assad asylum, saying it was a rumor started to make Russia look bad.
“There is no such agreement, we are not even thinking about this matter,” he said. “It’s a provocation by those who want to put all the blame for what’s happening in Syria on us and on China, because supposedly we’re blocking someone there.
“We are blocking only one thing: an attempt to allow people to support one side in an internal conflict through a U.N. Security Council resolution.”
Kareem Fahim reported from Beirut, and Ellen Barry from Moscow. Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.
His words, an echo of comments made by Syria’s most important ally Russia, reflected the growing pressures on the Syrian government as its fights a growing and emboldened armed insurgency on several fronts, most crucially in Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city.
The minister, Walid al-Moallem, said fighters from Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq had entered Syria over the Turkish border and he called on Lebanon to help block the infiltration of “terrorists.”
“The campaign on the international stage against Syria will not stop,” he said.
His comments came as the Syrian Army used tanks and artillery to pound opposition strongholds in Aleppo, continuing its barrage on a city that for days has been steeling for an assault, residents and activists said. It remained unclear whether the attack, which activists said was focused mainly on the southwestern neighborhood of Salaheddiin, was the beginning of a broader campaign.
In Dubai on Sunday, a leader of a Syrian opposition group appealed for countries opposed to the Syrian government to provide rebels with heavy weapons.
“The rebels are fighting with primitive weapons. We want weapons that we can stop tanks and planes with. This is what we want,” Abdelbasset Sida, the head of the Syrian National Council, said in Dubai, according to Reuters..
The clashes came after days of warnings from the international community about the human toll in Aleppo, Syria‘s largest city and its commercial center, as President Bashar al-Assad‘s forces massed on the outskirts of the city. For days, rebel fighters have been pouring into Salaheddiin and other neighborhoods in Aleppo, which had remained quiet for much of the uprising that started in March 2011.
On Saturday, Russia, Mr. Assad’s most important ally, joined the chorus, warning of tragedy as it chastised the rebels’ foreign backers for failing to pressure the opposition to end the violence.
Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, called on Mr. Assad’s government to “make the first moves” in ceasing military action. But he also blamed Western countries and some of Syria’s neighbors for not putting enough pressure on the armed opposition to stop fighting.
Speaking in Sochi, Russia, Mr. Lavrov said that those countries “encourage, support and direct the armed fight against the regime.”
Although he did not name any countries, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been helping the Syrian rebels obtain weapons and American officials say United States intelligence officers are operating in southern Turkey to help decide which groups receive the arms.
Russia said this month that it would halt any weapons shipments to the government of Mr. Assad. On Saturday, though, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it would not cooperate with a European Union effort to block such shipments by searching ships suspected of carrying weapons to Syria.
A ministry spokesman said Russia considered the plan to inspect ships a violation of other countries’ sovereignty.
In comments to the Interfax news service, Mr. Lavrov dismissed the notion that Russia would grant Mr. Assad asylum, saying it was a rumor started to make Russia look bad.
“There is no such agreement, we are not even thinking about this matter,” he said. “It’s a provocation by those who want to put all the blame for what’s happening in Syria on us and on China, because supposedly we’re blocking someone there.
“We are blocking only one thing: an attempt to allow people to support one side in an internal conflict through a U.N. Security Council resolution.”
Kareem Fahim reported from Beirut, and Ellen Barry from Moscow. Hwaida Saad contributed reporting.