Russian experts call for more talks

BEIJING - Russian experts called for more communication with the opposition and criticized the policy of only having contact with the current Syrian government in a video meeting with Chinese experts held by the Russian News Agency on Monday.

"We now only show our support on one side, but we should uphold the legality of the opposition," said Vladimir Akhmedov, an expert on oriental studies with the Russian Academy of Sciences.

With speculation over the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, experts urged the new government to have continuity.

"Russia hopes that the power organs in the present government will not be completely removed. The situation in Syria will be worse when they are all eliminated," said Akhmedov, adding that the opposition's national council is likely to be admitted in the future.

Asked about the decision by China and Russia to veto a United Nations proposal to promote regime change in Syria, Wan Chengcai, an expert on Russian studies with the Xinhua Center for World Affairs Studies, said the vote shows two countries are responsible.

If the United Nations becomes a tool of some countries for regime change, it may harm Chinese and Russian sovereign rights, said Wan.

"China's veto doesn't mean that China opposes the Syrian people's will of reform," he said.

Jin Canrong, an expert on international relations with Renmin University in Beijing, said China's veto of the UN's proposal showed its concern over the trend that the West starts wars in the Middle East and North Africa countries in response to losing power.

The West doesn't know how to deal with the fact that they are losing the power of hegemony, so they are starting wars, Jin said.

Akhmedov agreed with Jin and said that the US has realized it will not always be the dominant power in the world and is adjusting by starting wars.