Brussels (dpa) – Islamists will take over Arab countries that ousted autocrats in the so-called Arab Spring revolutions, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozing said on Friday, warning the West not to support the protest movement in Syria. “It is the Islamists that will come to power as the result of the Arab Spring,” he told reporters during a press conference at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, where he served as Russia's ambassador to the alliance until his December appointment as deputy premier. Western powers strongly supported uprisings that toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt, and a NATO-led military alliance helped Libyan rebels end the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. Parliamentary elections in Tunisia and Egypt have been dominated by Islamist parties. “I still believe that the Arab Spring will be ended by a hot Arabic summer and you will not like it,” he insisted, arguing that the West faces the “dilemma” of continuing to deal with established tyrants or paving the way for their replacement with “al-Qaeda.” The West has ruled out a Libya-style military operation in Syria, where the regime of President Bashar al-Assad has launched a deadly crackdown on a protest movement against his rule that erupted in March. “You should not interfere with Syrian affairs. This is very dangerous,” he said. Turning his attention to NATO, Rogozin reiterated that Russia wanted “concrete guarantees” that the missile defense system the alliance is developing for Europe will not be aimed at Russia. The US says the project is designed to stave off a missile attack from Iran, but Russia sees the radars and missile interceptors that will be installed in Eastern Europe as a threat. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/Q12fg Tags: Arab Spring, Islamist Summer, Russia Section: Europe, Latest News
