Russia, Syria slam contradictory U.S. stance on Rukban camp refugees

MOSCOW, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Syria on Sunday jointly condemned the United States for the contradictions in its stance on the issue of refugees from the Rukban camp in southern Syria, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

"We have repeatedly pointed to the hypocrisy of the American side, which declares its commitment to recognize humanitarian values, but at the same time does nothing to implement them," the heads of the joint coordination committees on the repatriation of Syrian refugees said in a statement published by the ministry.

They noted that while the U.S.-led international coalition against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria said no obstacles were set to the free movement of refugees from the Rukban camp, the First Secretary of the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Alex Hawke, outlined a number of conditions for departure from the camp.

Therefore, the committee called on the international community to "open its eyes" to the situation in Rukban camp and believe only facts and real deeds instead of pure words by the U.S. side, the statement said.

According to a survey conducted by the United Nations and the Syrian Red Crescent Society, 95 percent of about 40,000 Syrians held in Rukban wish to leave the camp as soon as possible, the statement said.