Russia Tells Annan it Opposes 'Crude Interference' in Syria

Russia on Saturday said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made clear to the U.N.-Arab League envoy for Syria Kofi Annan that Moscow is opposed to "crude interference" from the outside into Syrian internal affairs.

"A particular emphasis was placed on the inadmissibility of trampling on international legal norms, including through crude interference in Syria's internal affairs," the foreign ministry said after a meeting earlier between Lavrov and Annan in Cairo.

Arab foreign ministers met in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the crisis in Syria amid Western and Arab-led efforts to pile pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime.

The Arab League committee on Syria -- comprising Egypt, Sudan, Oman, Algeria and Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi -- met at the organization’s headquarters ahead of a wider meeting of Arab top diplomats and Lavrov.

Lavrov, who arrived on Friday, has already met with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, an Arab diplomat told AFP.

The talks at the Arab League come as Annan arrived in Damascus for crucial talks with Assad.

The United Nations says that well over 7,500 people have died in the year-long crackdown on dissent that has seen an intensive assault by government forces on protest cities such as Homs.

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in November.

Russia said on Friday it opposed an "unbalanced" Washington-backed U.N. draft resolution on Syria because it called on the government only to end violence but did not mention the rebels.

Russia and China have previously blocked two U.N. initiatives because they singled out Assad for blame.

World powers have been under pressure from Moscow to tone down their condemnation of Assad's regime.