Syria crisis: Russia's Putin issues plea to US over Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a direct personal appeal to the American people over the Syrian crisis. He wrote in the New York Times that a US military strike against Syria could unleash a new wave of terrorism. The US had threatened strikes, accusing the Syrian regime of killing hundreds in a poison-gas attack on 21 August.

Instead, Russia, an ally of Damascus, proposed that Syria hand over its chemical arsenal. The US and Russia are due to meet later to discuss that plan. The Syrian government, which denies that it has used chemical weapons on its own people, has agreed at least partially to the Russian proposal.

The diplomatic moves prompted US President Barack Obama to put military action against Syria on hold. In his New York Times article, Mr Putin said recent events had prompted him to "speak directly to the American people and their political leaders".

He warned that the UN could suffer the same fate as its predecessor, the League of Nations, if "influential countries... take military action without Security Council authorisation".

"The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the Pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria's borders," he wrote.

"A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism." He reiterated Russia's opinion that the gas attack of 21 August was probably carried out by opposition forces "to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons". US Secretary of State John Kerry is preparing to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva later to discuss Moscow's proposal.


BBC News asked people in the Middle East to share their views on a possible military strike against Syria
Mr Lavrov told a news conference in Kazakhstan that both sides were bringing teams of specialists and experts to the meeting to thrash out the technical details of the plan.

He outlined three main phases of the proposal: Syria joins the Chemical Weapons Convention, which outlaws the production and use of the weapons on Syria reveals where its chemical weapons are stored and gives details of its programme. Experts decide on the specific measures to be taken. Mr Lavrov did not mention the destruction of the weapons, which is thought to be a sticking point in Moscow's negotiations with Damascus.

Gen Salim Idriss of the rebel Free Syrian Army has dismissed the Russian plan, saying it did not go far enough. "[We] request not only that the chemical arsenal is put under international control, but [also] to judge the author of the crime before the International Criminal Court," he said.

On Wednesday, envoys of the five permanent UN Security Council members met in New York to discuss the plan.  One diplomat told the BBC that the UN envoys' talks were largely symbolic and that the serious questions would be left for Geneva.




BBC