Russia's Lavrov says Marshall plan needed for Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem in Moscow, Russia, October 28, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday a Marshall plan was needed for Syria, similar to a Western agreement to help post-war Germany. Speaking after talks with his Syrian and Iranian counterparts in Moscow, Lavrov said unlawful sanctions against Syria would harm its civilian population and there was no alternative to a political solution to the country's civil war. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; writing by Maria Tsvetkova; editing by Jack Stubbs)