West trying to protect Nusra Front: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he thinks the West is trying to protect al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front terrorists and use them to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Lavrov also said Friday that militants belonging to the group, which has recently changed its name to Fateh al-Sham Front, were refusing to leave the besieged city of Aleppo.

Western media frequently point to the change of the name, contending that the terrorist group had distanced itself from al-Qaeda.

The US has been refusing to separate terrorists from what it describes as "moderate" militants in Syria, leading to a standoff which wrecked a ceasefire agreement with Russia last month.  

Lavrov further said Moscow is very concerned by reports that Turkey is bombing northern Syria.

Asked what Russia thought about a Syrian government threat to shoot down Turkish warplanes violating its air space, Lavrov said Syria is a sovereign nation.

The foreign minister further said Moscow was prepared to continue a pause of bombing of east Aleppo if militants do not initiate attacks.

As he spoke Syria said the government has buses and ambulances ready for medical evacuations but "terrorists" were using mortars and snipers to attack humanitarian corridors and crossing points. 

The Syrian ambassador in Geneva told Reuters that the government gave the UN a green light for Aleppo medical evacuations two days ago. 

The UN meanwhile said the evacuations planned for Friday have been delayed after warring parties in the city failed to give necessary security assurances. 

The head of the UN's humanitarian task force for Syria, Jan Egeland, said Thursday all the "green lights" needed to start medical evacuations on Friday had been given. 

The UN and Red Cross had hoped to take advantage of the unilateral "humanitarian pause" in east Aleppo to evacuate the injured. 

Syria’s ambassador told a UN General Assembly session on Thursday that al-Qaeda-linked terrorists were preventing civilians from leaving the areas they control in east Aleppo.

Bashar al-Ja’afari said Damascus has set up eight passageways for people to leave the city, six for civilians and eight for militants interested in government-offered amnesty or transfer to other areas.

SS