Russia ready to meet heads of Syrian opposition offices

Russia is ready to meet with heads of the Syrian opposition offices, which are planned to be set up in Washington and New York, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said. The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces plans to open an office close to UN headquarters in New York that would be headed by Dr. Najib Ghadban, a professor at the University of Arkansas. The mooted office in Washington will be headed by real state trader from Texas Ubab Halil. They are both of Syrian origin. Churkin said Russia has nothing against making contacts with them, but Moscow will resist any attempts should “their presence here, next to the United Nations, will be used to score political points from the view of their international status.” “We are absolutely against it as it may obstruct the establishment of a political dialogue [in Syria],” (RIA Novosti) quoted Churkin as saying.