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Russia sends fleet of warships to Syria*


Russia despatched a flotilla of warships to its naval base in the Syrian
port of Tartus on Tuesday in an apparent show of support for President
Bashar al-Assad.


By Tom Parfitt, Moscow and Adrian Blomfield


5:31PM BST 10 Jul 2012
The Telegraph UK


Two destroyers and three amphibious landing vessels carrying marines set
sail from Russian bases in the Arctic and the Black Sea, according to
Russian military sources.


Russia's defence ministry insisted that the mission was part of a
previously scheduled exercise in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black
Sea and at least one of the vessels in the flotilla has patrolled waters
off Syria earlier this year.


But Western diplomats say the purpose of the mission is to show tangible
support for Mr Assad, to warn the West against military intervention in
Syria and to prepare for the possible evacuation of Russian nationals
from the country.


Russia renewed naval patrols in the Mediterranean in 2007 -- after a
15-year hiatus -- with a wider aim of expressing the country's military
resurgence.


It was unclear whether the ships were carrying weapons supplies or large
numbers of marines.


Despite the demonstration of military strength, speculation has been
mounting that Russia is subtly realigning its once unquestioned support
for Mr Assad, although its public position is unlikely to change.


This week, Moscow announced that it would halt the delivery of new
weapons to the Syrian armed forces, while some of Mr Assad's leading
opponents have been invited to the Kremlin for talks.


Meanwhile, Kofi Annan, the UN and Arab League special envoy to Syria,
sought regional support for his faltering peace plan as he held talks
with senior officials in both Iran and Iraq.


Mr Annan, who said this week that he was working on a new proposal to
end the fighting in Syria, said he believed that Iran could play a
"positive role" in ending the crisis, despite its close relationship
with the Assad regime.


The United States has accused Iran of propping up Mr Assad, by giving
him arms and logistical support.


Mr Annan has said that he will brief the Syrian opposition on a new
approach he has agreed with Mr Assad earlier this week. Although he
would not be drawn on the specifics of the proposal, he said that his
new plan involved ending the conflict on a step-by-step basis, beginning
with districts that have suffered the worst violence.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/9390177/Russia-sends-warships-to-Syria.html

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Russia Sending Warships on Maneuvers Near Syria

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/world/middleeast/russia-sends-warships-on-maneuvers-near-syria.html?_r=2