Arab League and Russia rule out intervention in Syria

AFP - Arab and Russian foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on Saturday called for an end to the violence in Syria "whatever its source", as they try to reach common ground on ways to resolve the deadly conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters after a meeting at the Arab League headquarters on Syria that he and his Arab counterparts want "an end to the violence whatever its source."

Reading out a joint statement, Lavrov and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani said they also agreed on setting up a mechanism for "objective monitoring" in the conflict-stricken country, and had agreed on no foreign intervention there.

They also called for "unhindered humanitarian access" in Syria and support for the mission of UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan to Damascus.

They said the five-point statement was based on the General Assembly resolution passed on February 16 and on previous Arab resolutions.