part of the world. they see syria as access to the mediterranean, sitting on the eastern shore of the mediterranean and they are interested in offshore gas off cyprus and greece. they want the navy to go in and out of there, et cetera. the basic position is like the chinese, they are completely opposed to intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states. that's why they are grouped together as the shanghai cooperation organization. putin personally after he was -- his diplomats were tricked and deceived about libya where nato was allegedly just going to protect the population of benghazi and it somehow inded up with gadhafi being murdered. they are digging their heels in with assad. the other plus point for them, is that whereas the united