oday, 14:36

Putin to Obama: 'It would be good not to get annoyed'

Russia-US-Syria

Moscow suggests that the critical situation around Syria should be discussed at the "Group of Twenty" summit on September 5 – 6 in St. Petersburg. Putin has once again urged to wait for the results of the work of the UN experts, who had taken samples in the suburbs of Damascus, where chemical weapons had been allegedly used on August 21. Russia’s uncompromising position, the Russian President has stressed, was that no matter who used the weapons of mass destruction it was a crime.

In case there is convincing evidence of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, it should be presented to the UN Security Council. There was no convincing evidence so far, the Russian President said. He gave an extensive interview to Channel One of the Russian television and the American Associated Press (AP) News Agency. When there is some evidence of the use of these weapons by any of the parties, then we will act, Vladimir Putin added.

“We don't defend this government (of President Assad). We defend completely different things: we defend the norms and principles of international law, we defend the modern world order, and we defend the discussion of the possibility of the use of force exclusively in the framework of the current international order, international rules and international law. That’s what we are defending. This has the absolute value. When issues associated with the use of force are solved outside the UN and the Security Council, then there is a fear that such wrong decisions may be taken against anyone and under any pretext”.

Even in the United States there are experts, who believe that the evidence presented by the administration is not convincing and does not exclude the possibility that the opposition carried out a pre-planned provocative action trying to give their patrons a reason for an armed intervention. The US has already announced its readiness to use force against Damascus. The White House is only waiting for an approval of the Congress, which, presumably, will be given next week.

At the same time, samples collected by the UN inspectors in Damascus on September 4 were transferred to specialists of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague. This is the most competent international authority for examining chemical warfare agents. The results of the analyses are to be ready no earlier than in three weeks. Only after that it will be possible to draw conclusions, the Russian President believes.

“If it is established that the means of mass destruction were used by the militants, what will the US do with these militants? What will these sponsors do with the militants? Will they stop weapons’ supplies? Will they start operations against them?”

During the interview with Vladimir Putin, the conversation turned to the recently canceled visit of US President Barack Obama to Moscow. The Russian President remarked that, of course, he would have liked to discuss many issues with his US counterpart. “We understand that there is a certain irritation among the American administration in connection with Russia’s position on certain issues. But we can't help it. I think that would be good actually not to get annoyed, but to have patience and work together in order to find solutions”.

Putin also said that he did not see any catastrophe in cancelling the meeting. Contacts between Washington and Moscow at the level of ministries and other agencies are being successfully continued. According to the Russian President, soon he and Obama would have an opportunity to discuss the most important issues on the sidelines of the G20 summit in St. Petersburg, which will take place later this week.

Andrey Fedyashin
Read more: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_04/Putin-to-Obama-It-would-be-good-not-to-get-annoyed-2287/

Today, 18:10

Position of Russia's opponents on Syria too weak, leads to unjustified aggression - Putin

Photo: RIA

Position of Russia's opponents on Syria are too weak, it leads to unjustified aggression, said Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"Position of our opponents is weak, rather weak. It is good-for-nothing," - he said at a meeting of the presidential Human Rights Council. It is agression which has no excuse, he said.

Operation against Syria pondered by US Congress would be aggression without UN sanction - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the steps that the US Congress is considering now in relation to Syria aggression and suggested that some untrue statements have been made there.

"Congress of any country can sanction such things. They are sanctioning aggression, because anything that is beyond the UN Security Council framework except self-defense is aggression," Putin said at a meeting of the presidential Human Rights Council on Wednesday.

As Syria is not attacking the United States, the matter is not about self-defense, he said.

"What the US Senate is doing now is in fact legitimizing aggression, and we have all glued ourselves to TV screens and are waiting to see whether there will be a sanction or not. What we should be talking about is that this is absurd in principle," Putin said.

The Russian leader once again insisted that it would be absurd to presume that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "used chemical weapons while he is on the offensive."

"After all, this is a last resort weapon, if one can imagine this. And if he is on the offensive, has encircled [the insurgents] at some places and is finishing them off, they need urgent help," Putin said.

"Surely, this lie is not very elegant," he said. "I watched the debates in Congress. A congressman asks Mr. [US Secretary of State John] Kerry: 'Is there al-Qaeda there? There has been rumor that they are gaining strength'. He [Kerry] replies, 'No. I am telling you firmly: there are none of them there'," Putin said.

As a matter of fact, "the principal combative unit [acting in Syria now] is the so-called Nusra, which is an al-Qaeda unit," Putin said. "And they know this. I even felt quite awkward. We are communicating with them and assume that they are decent people. And he is telling an outright lie, and he knows that he is lying. This is sad," Putin said apparently referring to Kerry.

US Congress has no right to approve Syria strike - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday the US Congress had no right to approve the use of force against Syria without a decision from the UN Security Council, and that doing so would be an "act of aggression".

Putin also accused US Secretary of State John Kerry of lying to Congress about the militant group al Qaeda's role in the Syrian conflict when seeking the approval of US legislators for military action against Syria's government.

Lies are spread during debate on Syria in US Congress that there are no Al Qaeda fighters in Syria - Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he managed to catch US Secretary of State John Kerry in a blatant lie on al-Qaeda in Syria.

"During a Congress debate, a senator asked Mr. Kerry if there was an al-Qaeda [branch] there. He answered with a 'no'," Mr. Putin said at a meeting with his top advisors.

The Russian president pointed out that the al-Nusra Front, or Jabhat al-Nusra, was known to be the main militant wing of al-Qaeda in Syria.

"They know it. He knew it and he went on lying about it. It’s so sad," Putin remarked.

Absurd to say Assad used war chemicals in Syria in conditions of an offensive by gov't troops - Putin

The Russian leader once again insisted that it would be absurd to presume that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "used chemical weapons while he is on the offensive."

Voice of Russia, Interfax, RIA