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Syria and Russia Warn West Against Aiding Rebels Syria and Russia Warn West Against Aiding Rebels
(about 4 hours later)
ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland — The Syrian and Russian governments warned the West on Monday not to arm Syria’s insurgency or attempt to provide a no-fly zone to protect rebel-held areas of the country, as leaders of the Group of 8 industrialized nations, including Russia, were convening a summit meeting in which the Syrian conflict was expected to dominate discussions. ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland — With the crisis in Syria dominating a meeting of the G8 nations, talks were due Monday night to press Russia to overcome its deep differences with other industrialized nations and agree a series of principles over how to achieve a transition from the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria told a German newspaper that if weapons were furnished to the insurgents, “Europe’s backyard will become terrorist and Europe will pay the price.” He also denied the increasingly emphatic assertions by Western powers that his government has used deadly sarin nerve gas in the conflict. A British official, speaking on condition of anonymity per diplomatic protocol, said the hopes were for a discussion, to take place over dinner, that would be a “clarifying moment,” revealing whether Russia would be prepared to join – or stand aside from — a summit communiqué by the other seven nations.
Mr. Assad’s remarks were published on the Web site of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday. They amounted to his first comments on Western weapons for the Syrian insurgency since the Obama administration announced last Thursday that it intended to provide some armaments to a vetted group of insurgents seeking to topple Mr. Assad. The Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin,has supported Mr. Assad and warned against American plans to begin sending some arms to rebels there.
The European Union has also signaled the possibility that it could arm the insurgents, having allowed an embargo to expire. Ahead of the dinner, President Barack Obama was to meet with Mr. Putin and to try to persuade him to put pressure on Mr. Assad to negotiate a transition.
Earlier Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Russia, the Assad government’s most powerful foreign supporter, said it would not abide no-fly zones in Syria, drawing a parallel to NATO’s aerial bombardment of Libya that helped insurgents there topple Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in October 2011. The NATO countries took that action after having secured authorization through a United Nations Security Council resolution. Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, who has pushed hard for help for the Syrian opposition but has not agreed to help arm them, is leading the talks, which are taking place in a golfing resort in Northern Ireland.
“I think we fundamentally will not allow this scenario,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich, was quoted by news agencies as telling reporters at a Kremlin briefing. The five principles due to be discussed over dinner are provision of humanitarian assistance; moves to combat extremist elements; a declaration that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptable; preparations for stabilization after a change of government; and discussion over a transition to a new executive authority in Syria.
The Russia position underlined the differences of opinion on Syria policy among the Group of 8 powers as their leaders prepared for the two-day summit meeting here. The discussions avoid the contentious issue of arming Syria’s rebels — which divides Europeans — and an agreement could form the basis of a peace talks that international leaders have been trying to arrange. British officials hope that Mr. Assad could be persuaded to send a representative to those discussions, paving the way for him to eventually relinquish power.
Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, one of Mr. Assad's most strident Western critics, said Monday that he found some elements of the Syrian opposition worrying, but that he sought to keep open the option of arming those who want a democratic future. Monday night’s talks were due to take place in a lakeside lodge with few officials present, over a meal of crab, prawn and avocado salad, roast beef and apple crumble.
Speaking in Northern Ireland, Mr. Cameron, who faces internal opposition within his coalition government to arming Syrian rebels, said he had made no decision on the issue. The two-day summit meeting, which ends Tuesday, is also expected to discuss moves to clamp down on tax evasion and tax avoidance by multinational corporations. Britain is also seeking an agreement on preventing ransom payments in kidnappings, which it believes is now the major source of terrorist funding.
“I am as worried as anyone else about elements of the Syrian opposition who are extremists, who support terrorism, who are a great danger to our world. The question is what do we do about that?” Mr. Cameron said. Well before the start of Monday’s G8 summit meeting, divisions were on display over Syria. Mr. Cameron conceded that he found some elements of the Syrian opposition worrying but sought to keep open the option of arming those who want a democratic future.
Speaking on Monday in Northern Ireland, Mr. Cameron, who faces internal opposition within his coalition government to arming the rebels, said he had made no decision on the issue.
“I am as worried as anyone else about elements of the Syrian opposition who are extremists, who support terrorism, who are a great danger to our world” Mr. Cameron said. “The question is what do we do about that?”
“My argument is that we shouldn’t accept that the only alternative to Assad is terrorism and violence,'’ Mr. Cameron said. “We should be on the side of Syrians who want a democratic and peaceful future for their country and one without the man who is currently using chemical weapons against them.”“My argument is that we shouldn’t accept that the only alternative to Assad is terrorism and violence,'’ Mr. Cameron said. “We should be on the side of Syrians who want a democratic and peaceful future for their country and one without the man who is currently using chemical weapons against them.”
On Sunday President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who met with Mr. Cameron in London in advance of the Group of 8 meeting here, responded in combative style when asked if he had blood on his hands for providing military support to the Assad government. After a meeting in London on Sunday with the prime minister, Mr. Putin responded in combative style after being asked if he had blood on his hands for providing military support to the Assad government.
“One hardly should back those who kill their enemies and, you know, eat their organs,” he said, referring to widely publicized film footage in which a member of an anti-Assad militia appears to eat part of a dead government soldier. “One hardly should back those who kill their enemies and, you know, eat their organs,” he said, referring to a widely publicized video in which a member of an anti-Assad militia appears to bite an internal organ from a dead government soldier.
“Do we want to support these people?” Mr. Putin asked. “Do we want to supply arms to these people?”“Do we want to support these people?” Mr. Putin asked. “Do we want to supply arms to these people?”
Britain’s foreign secretary, William Hague, told the BBC on Monday that there was no “palatable option” for dealing with the crisis in Syria and that “extremists” were supporting both Mr. Assad’s government and the rebel forces. Any military help provided by the West would go to “moderates,” he said. The United States has said that it will supply some rebels with direct military aid, and Britain and France succeeded in getting the European Union to allow its ban on supplying arms to the country to expire, despite the reservations of many countries within the 27-member bloc.
On Monday, Britain’s foreign secretary, William Hague, told the BBC that there was no “palatable option” for dealing with the crisis in Syria and that “extremists” were supporting both Mr. Assad’s government and the rebel forces. The help would go to “moderates,” he said.

Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York.

Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York.