Russia opposes external political 'recipes' for Syria

MOSCOW / BEIRUT

Russian Federation Minister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov speaks during the 19th OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, 06 December 2012. EPA photo

Russia said on Monday it opposed any setting of preconditions for talks between the Syrian government and its enemies, and that plans for the country's political future cannot be forced on it from outside, Reuters has reported.

The Foreign Ministry repeated calls for an end to fighting and start of talks between the Syrian government and opposition but said Russia rejected "attempts to force prepared recipes for socio-political development" on the Middle Eastern nation.

Islamist rebels seize key north Syria army base: NGO

Syrian Islamist rebels, led by the radical Al-Nusra Front, seized a strategic army base in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Monday after weeks of fierce fighting, a watchdog said.

"Al-Nusra Front, alongside several Islamist rebel battalions linked to it, have seized control of the army base headquarters at Sheikh Suleiman," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.