Terrorism: a term used to spin pop-fear and a tool of political convenience

Terrorism can`t be justified in any way – Lavrov
by Polina Chernitsa – 12 September, 2012 – The Voice of Russia

“The Western partners have started assessing terrorist attacks relying on what political effects they could have”, Russia`s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting which took place in Astana as part of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

Mr. Lavrov said that the reluctance to condemn the latest attacks in Syria proves that the West and many UNSC member states have revised their policies. Apart from the Syrian crisis the conference in Astana focused on the Iranian nuclear issue, the situation in Afghanistan, as well as on Asia`s growing influence on the international scene.

The Astana conference is taking place on the 20th anniversary of the forum. The CICA was established to ensure peace, security and stability in Asia. The ambitious agenda reflects the interests of all the countries involved. The CICA comprises 24 permanent members, including Russia, Iraq, Bahrain, and Pakistan. Japan, Qatar, the US, as well as the UN, the Arab League and the OSCE hold the observer status in the CICA.

Speaking during the meeting in Astana Mr. Lavrov said that the organization has turned into an influential platform for discussion in the Asian region. Mr. Lavrov`s speech, however, focused more on the difficulties the region has been facing. Commenting on the situation in Syria, Sergei Lavrov criticized the UNSC member states for not condemning the latest attacks in the country…

“The Security Council earlier stressed that terrorism would never be accepted no matter what justifications are made. After the latest attack in Aleppo which killed 27 people our western partners took a pause and did not offer any reaction to the tragedy which makes us think that they have revised their policy. It looks like our partners are now assessing the attacks from the point of view of whether they are politically beneficial. I will be glad to know that my suspicion is wrong. Meanwhile, my position remains unchanged.”

At the ministerial meeting Mr. Lavrov spoke about the need to settle the Syrian crisis without foreign interference. The minister added that many other countries have been trying to use the Syrian crisis to stir up conflicts in the Middle East. …more