4:23:00 AM
IF EVIDENCE IS NOT PRESENTED, IT MEANS THEY DON'T HAVE IT - President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared ‘utter nonsense’ the
idea that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons on its own
people and called on the US to present its supposed evidence to the UN
Security Council.
Putin has further called the Western tactic a ‘provocation.’
Washington has been basing its proposed strategy of an attack on Syria on the premise that President Bashar Assad’s government forces have used chemical agents, while Russia finds the accusations unacceptable and the idea of performing a military strike on the country even more so. Especially as it would constitute a violation of international law, if carried out without the approval of the UN Security Council.
Further to this, Putin told Obama that he should consider what
the potential fallout from a military strike would be and to take
into consideration the suffering of innocent civilians.
The Russian president has expressed certainty that the strategy
for a military intervention in Syria is a contingency measure
from outside and a direct response to the Syrian government’s
recent combat successes, coupled with the rebels’ retreat from
long-held positions.
“Syrian government forces are advancing, while the so-called
rebels are in a tight situation, as they are not nearly as
equipped as the government,” Putin told ITAR-TASS. He then
laid it out in plain language:
“What those who sponsor the so-called rebels need to achieve
is simple – they need to help them in their fight… and if this
happens, it would be a tragic development,” Putin said.
Russia believes that any attack would, firstly, increase the
already existing tensions in the country, and derail any effort
at ending the war.
"Any unilateral use of force without the authorisation of the
U.N. Security Council, no matter how 'limited' it is, will be a
clear violation of international law, will undermine prospects
for a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict in
Syria and will lead to a new round of confrontation and new
casualties," said the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman,
Aleksandr Lukashevich, adding that the threats issued by
Washington “in the absence of any proof” of chemical
weapons use.
On Friday, Washington said a plan for a limited military response
was in the works to punish Assad for a “brutal and
flagrant” chemical attack that allegedly killed more than
1400 people in the capital Damascus 10 days ago.
The Syrian government has been denying all allegations, calling
the accusation preposterous and pointing its own accusations
against rebel forces, especially Al-Qaeda-linked extremists who
have wreaked havoc on the country in the two years since the
start of the civil war.
