Russian foreign minister accuses US of arming Syrian rebels

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused the United States of supplying weapons to Syria’s rebels to fight against Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria.

AFP reported that Sergei Lavrov told a news conference during a brief visit to Tehran that Russia was supplying "anti-air defense systems" to Damascus in a deal that "in no way violates international laws."

Lavrov's accusation followed a charge by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of supplying the regime in Damascus with attack helicopters as it could dramatically escalate the existing conflict.

For his part, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said: he couldn’t confirm Clinton's assertion.

The accusation by U.S. Secretary of State came as U.N.'s peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous said Syria was already in a state of civil war.

Meanwhile, France will propose to the other members of the U.N. Security Council to enforce the peace plan of international mediator Kofi Annan, to avoid further aggravation of the situation in Syria, which is already described as a civil war.

"We must use (the U.N.) Chapter 7 to enforce the provisions of the Annan plan," said Wednesday the French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, at a press conference. "We work in this direction and we hope that this will occur soon," he added. Chapter 7 is used to impose measures on a country' it could face sanctions or even use of force.

"We heard today that even China expressed deep concerns. Therefore, the Security Council will move into high gear, and place the Annan plan under Chapter 7," he said.

"I recall that the Annan plan, including steps to stop the violence, the withdrawal of the army from the cities, the delivery of humanitarian aid, all will make possible the political transition in Syria and therefore the departure of Bashar al-Assad," said Laurent Fabius.

France intends to be at the forefront of the action against Assad and his crimes, he added.

The head of French diplomacy believed that Syria was in a state of civil war, and he again called to the end of the regime of the "assassins leader," Bashar al-Assad.

On the ground, clashes between rebels and army troops has escalated significantly in recent days as the government fights to reassert control of pockets of resistance across the country. After a week of shelling, the regime forces claims to have entered the coastal region of Heffe. According to opposition sources, in fact, as of Tuesday, the rebels had decided to retreat.

The U.N. has attempted to send observers to Heffe. But they could not access it. Their convoy was blocked by supporters of Assad, reports said.

The violence in the coastal region of Heffe raised questions about the ability of the 300 unarmed U.N. observers to provide peace in a country that is spiraling toward civil war.

"All U.N. observers are now back at their bases and are secure," said Sausan Ghosheh, a spokeswoman for U.N. observers in Syria. She said monitors have been trying to reach Haffa since June 7, AFP news reported.

Sources:

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47799123

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/06/13/220442.html