India may back a surprise Russian UN resolution on Syria, calling on the Syrian parties to end violence and start talks, The Times of India daily reported.
The draft resolution proposed by Russia endorses efforts by the Arab League to resolve the crisis in Syria and welcomes plans to deploy a monitoring mission in the country as clashes between the Syrian army and the opposition continue.
India has come under pressure to take a stronger stand on Syria, both by international organizations and the West. But after Libya, India is opposed to another NATO military intervention.
The Russian draft, which doesn't call for sanctions, was criticized by the U.S. and France for what they said was an attempt to equate the crushing of protests by Assad's forces with self-defense measures taken by the opposition.
"We have from the beginning condemned violence from all sides," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said today on state television from Moscow.
"We don't see any alternative to a political-diplomatic resolution of the crisis in the country. Any foreign interference, given Syria's role in regional security, can destabilize the situation throughout the Middle East. We are counting on a constructive attitude from other UN Security Council members."
"Along with other BRIC nations, India has come to the conclusion that the unrest in Syria is being exploited by different interests. For instance, officials tracking Syria note that the violence is now most concentrated in Homs, which is the headquarters for the Muslim Brotherhood," The Times of India said.
