Russia slams West for blocking UN move on Syria

UNITED NATIONS - Russia on Friday lashed out at Western countries for blocking unified action of the UN Security Council to bring an early end to the Syrian crisis.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the statement when taking the floor at the general debate of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, a week-long event which is to conclude on Monday.

"We have consistently called for consolidated efforts of the international community to compel the government and its opponents to immediately cease the violence and come to the negotiating table," the foreign minister said.

The Russian top diplomat told the 193-member assembly that Russia has asked its fellow members of the 15-nation UN Security Council to support the Geneva communique of the Action Group of world and regional powers to put an early end to the Syrian crisis.

The crisis, he added, has created a worsening humanitarian situation in the Middle East country and sent a massive influx of refugees to its neighboring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.

"We call upon all members of the Action Group to fully confirm the commitments that all of us have taken on in Geneva," he said. "This is the shortest way to stop the loss of human life in Syria."

"We proposed to adopt a resolution in the UN Security Council that would endorse the Geneva communique as the basis for negotiations at the beginning of the transitional period, but this proposal had been blocked," he said.

"Those who oppose the implementation of the Geneva communique take upon themselves an enormous responsibility," he said. "They insist on a ceasefire only by the government and encourage the opposition to intensify hostilities -- but in fact they push Syria even deeper in the abyss of bloody intestine strife."

"The militarization of conflict is continuing with the calls for an open intervention," he said. "The extremist organizations including Al-Qaida have become more active in Syria -- they perpetrate terrorist attacks against innocent civilians and civil infrastructure."