Russia, China change world politics: Syria

MOSCOW - Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said Thursday that Russia and China had changed world politics and accused the West of supporting terrorists against his government.

"Russia and China, starting from their first veto in the UN Security Council on Syria, have changed the balance of power in global politics," said Jamil, who is leading a Syrian state delegation to Russia.

Jamil also slammed the West for its "hypocrisy" during the crisis in Syria.

"The West, the US especially, is not interested in the fate of the Syrians. The US policy is hypocritical to the bone," he told the Voice of Russia radio.

"They (the West) joined the Geneva agreements but, at the same time, they kept intervening in Syria's domestic affairs, arming and financing the so-called opposition, who actually are the terrorists, using all tools of political and informational pressure available," he said.

In late July, Moscow said the attempts by some Western countries to bypass the UN in tackling the Syria crisis would break the consensus world powers reached in Geneva.

Russia also accused the United States of justifying terrorism against the Syrian government and spoke against Western countries' unilateral sanctions on Syria.

The Syrian delegation, headed by Jamil, includes Syrian ministers of oil, transportation and finance, the Supreme Judge and other officials.

Jamil called the BRICS countries a power bloc one could not ignore and assured Damascus wanted to closely cooperate with the group, which comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He said Damascus wanted to enhance ties with Russia in the financial sector, trade, air and sea transportation, energy and healthcare. Jamil also confirmed that Syria was interested in joining the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.

Jamil, who visited Moscow in December 2011 and April 2012 as a representative of the opposition, joined the new Syrian government in June.