Russia and China let Syria off the hook

The Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov travels to Damascus today to hold talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The liberal daily Göteborgs-Posten doubts that the talks will end the bloodshed in Syria. "Russia has a unique opportunity to exert pressure on Syria's dictator. ... But there is not much hope. Lavrov is seeking political dialogue. But Assad is literally fighting for his survival after having rejected all the options for a compromise. Everything points to the civil war continuing and the situation further deteriorating in Syria before it finally improves. ... Russia and China bear a heavy burden of responsibility for this, having consistently ignored the suffering and acted solely according to the principle that nations don't have friends, only interests."

» full article (external link, Swedish)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Russia, » Syria
Who's saying what » Arabs fight for freedom

» To the complete press review of Tuesday, February 7, 2012