Russia''s lack of int''l cooperation against Syria "frustrating" - Clinton

WASHINGTON, March 1 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told House lawmakers late Wednesday, Russia's lack of cooperation in international efforts to pressure Syria's Bashar Al-Assad regime to step down is "troubling and frustrating".
"It is a very troubling and frustrating situation because the Russians continue to say, oh, they're for humanitarian aid, but then they don't produce any plan that Assad will sign off on," Clinton told members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday.
"We are doing everything we can think of to influence the Russians and the Chinese, particularly the Russians: they're the ones with the very deep, long-standing relationship with the Assad family, with Syria," she said.
In two separate occasions, Russia and China vetoed UN Security Council resolutions on Syria that they believe could lead to a military operation against Syrian government forces as a repetition of "the Libyan scenario." Russia has also opposed calls to establish air corridors in Syria to provide humanitarian aid to civilian population in the midst of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces.
Both countries also refused to attend last week's Friends of Syria conference in Tunisia where delegates from 70 countries called on Syria's government to halt violence.
Clinton said she hoped Russia would finally agree to cooperate with the international community as it could be key to resolving "a terrible crisis that demands the entire world's attention." "We know that if we can persuade them to work with us, at least on the humanitarian issue, they will have access to Assad that hardly anybody else does have, at least nobody in the West," she said.(end) hy.asa KUNA 010934 Mar 12NNNN