UNITED NATIONS, Jan 16 : Russia dismissed a Security Council meeting on Friday on the siege of Syrian towns as "unnecessary noise" that politicizes a humanitarian crisis and risks derailing upcoming peace talks.
Russian Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov questioned the motives of Britain, France and the U.S. in calling for the meeting.
He accused them of "double standards" by focusing on the suffering in Madaya, a rebel-held town besieged by Syria's government, while minimizing suffering in towns under siege by rebels.
"As the date for the launch draws closer there is all this unnecessary noise," Safronkov said.     ?AP