October 5, 2015
FORCING THE CONTRADICTIONS:
Relationship Between Arab States, Russia Shows Strain (JAY SOLOMON, 10/05/15, WSJ)
Arab diplomats privately met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week at the United Nations to protest Moscow's military campaign in Syria, according to officials briefed on the meeting.But the Russian envoy offered no indication the Kremlin would scale back its operations, which are designed to strengthen the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.These and other Arab states have had a love-hate relationship with the Kremlin in recent years.Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in particular, have pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull his support for Mr. Assad since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011.
Syrian rebel groups unite to fight Russian 'occupiers' (BASSEM MROUE AND SARAH EL DEEB, October 5, 2015, AP)
More than 40 Syrian insurgent groups vowed to attack Russian forces in retaliation for Moscow's air campaign in a show of unity among the usually fragmented rebels against what they called the "occupiers" of Syria.
Luring Putin into Syria was pure genius.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 5, 2015 1:26 PM
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