WORLD_ US says Russian-made weapons are killing Syrians on 'an hourly basis'

US says Russian-made weapons are killing Syrians on 'an hourly basis'

Accusations fly between Russian and US representatives over supplies and weapons sent to Bashar al-Assad's regime

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Email Chris McGreal in Washington
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13 June 2012 20.28 BST
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A day after first making the allegation, Hillary Clinton stood by her assertion that Russian attack helicopters are on their way to Syria. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA

The US has alleged that Russian-made weapons are killing Syrians on "an hourly basis" as the feud between Washington and Moscow over the arming of the Assad regime intensified Wednesday.

In the face of a strong denial from the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, stood by her assertion that Russian attack helicopters are on their way to Syria in a move that would "escalate the conflict quite dramatically".

The state department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, repeated the claim and ratcheted up the confrontation by saying that the Russians have also been resupplying arms used against the civilian population.

"On a daily basis, on an hourly basis, we are seeing Russian- and Soviet-made weaponry used against civilians in towns all across Syria," she said.

"Russian- and Soviet-made helicopters form the base of the Syrian helicopter fleet. We are seeing these helicopters used all over Syria now against civilians. We're seeing gun mounts on these being used to fire on populations and homes. … We've seen the Russians resupply the weapons that they've sold to the Syrians as recently as January."

Lavrov, speaking in Tehran, denied Clinton's claim and said Russia is supplying weapons only for self-defence. "We are now finishing the fulfilment of contracts that were signed and paid for a long time ago. All of (the contracts) are solely for means of air defence," he said.

Lavrov said the arms are "only something that Syria would need in the event of an armed attack on it from without".

Nuland responded by saying that Lavrov is misinformed. "I would encourage him to check with his own authorities," she said.

The Russian foreign minister turned the tables on the US by accusing the Americans of arming the Syrian opposition. "We don't supply Syria or anyone else with things that are used to fight against peaceful demonstrators, unlike the United States, which regularly supplies that region with such special equipment," he said. "They are providing arms and weapons to the Syrian opposition that can be used in fighting against the Damascus government."

Nuland denied the charge. "The United States is sending no military equipment to the Syrian opposition. What we are doing is supplying non-lethal support … primarily communications gear and we are also one of the largest donors of humanitarian relief," she said.

However, there is growing evidence that US allies in the region, principally Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey, are arming the opposition Free Syrian Army.

Nuland acknowledged that the US is "coordinating with other nations that are trying to support the Syrian opposition". Pressed on what coordinating means, Nuland said: That means comparing notes on what people are providing and trying to ensure that what we are doing is effective with the goals that we have".

Asked about whether that also means US allies are arming the Syrian opposition, she responded by saying Washington is not supplying weapons: "We have said other nations have made other decisions".

Nuland also said there was "no comparison" between Russia sending weapons to Syria and the US arming the monarchy in Bahrain, which has brutally put down civilian demonstrations with the help of the American-supplied Saudi military resulting in scores killed and thousands arrested. Some are alleged to have died under torture.

"We reject that analogy completely," she said, in an answer to a reporter's question at a briefing at the state department.

Nuland said that the US has "systems and oversight" to prevent weapons being used against civilian populations. "If that is the case with others then it doesn't seem to be applied in this case," she said of Russian supplies to Syria.




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