Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has come out for deploying a full-scale mission of UN monitors in Syria at an early date.

 

This should help implement the UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan plan, he told a news conference in Moscow earlier today. Lavrov pointed out that the vanguard group of six monitors has already started work in Syria.

 

Several dozen more monitors are due to leave for Syria shortly, he said. Russian Foreign Minister again called attention to the problem of external influence on the processes under way in Syria. Some countries, some outside forces are not interested in successful UN Security Council efforts and are trying to replace them with all sorts of unofficial formats like Friends of Syria Groups, Lavrov said, adding that such attempts are counterproductive.