situation, including the unjust unilateral sanctions imposed by some Arab and western countries on the Syrian people," al-Hamwi added. He pointed out that the committee ignored in its report the role of Qatar in the abduction of UNDOF personnel in the Golan which is being investigated by United Nations Under-Secretary-General HervĂŠ Ladsous after he received evidence about that. Concerning the situation in al-Quseir city, Al-Hamwi added that the report did not mention the hundreds of rockets and shells which were launched by the armed terrorist groups on Lebanon and the losses sustained by the Lebanese citizens and al-Quseir residents since these groups controlled the city two years ago. He noted that when member of the committee, Carla Del Ponte, confirmed that the armed groups in Syria used the poisonous Sarin gas, pressures were intensified on head of the committee to issue a statement refuting Ponte's conclusions.
Putin: Any Attempts at Using Force in Syria Are Doomed to Failure Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that the attempts to influence the situation in Syria through direct military intervention will yield no fruits and is doomed to failure, warning that these attempts would result in heavy humanitarian consequences. Speaking during a press conference following the end of the 31st RussiaEU Summit, which kicked off Tuesday in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg, President Putin expressed his country's disappointment with the European Union's decision to lift the embargo on exporting arms to the "opposition" in Syria. "I won't hide that we were disappointed by this issue," he added. He reiterated that Russia's arms exports to Syria are being carried out on the basis of transparent contracts that are internationally recognized, noting that the contract on exporting S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria has not yet been implemented. "The S-300 systems are, really, one of the best air defense systems in the world, probably the best...It is a serious weapon," said Putin. "We do not want to disturb the balance in the region. The contract was signed several years ago. It has not yet been realized."