MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - The Syrian authorities are accusing the United States of supporting terrorist groups in Syria.
"[U.S. Secretary of State] John Kerry has recently said that Syria has become a stronghold of terrorists. I would like to say that it is the United States that encourages it, not by landing troops, but through the territory of Turkey," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem told a press conference following a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
"The United States knows about it. I can't understand how the U.S. condemns terrorism in Iraq, supports the Iraqi government in its fight against an Islamic state in Iraq, and we highly value this support, how the U.S. can support the same terrorists who kill people in Syria. It's a real plot, which is targeted against Syria," Mualem said.