Vladimir
Putin may allow Assad to go if power vacuum in Syria is avoided
British
hopeful that peace talks to end civil war can go ahead, but divided
Syrian opposition remains a big stumbling block
18
January, 2013
The
Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is willing to see the removal of
the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, but only if it leads to a balanced
government and not a dangerous power vacuum of the kind that followed
Saddam Hussein's removal in Iraq, British officials believe after two
days of intensive talks at the G8 summit.
Putin
blocked any reference in the subsequent communique to the removal of
Assad, but British officials believe the talks have opened the way
for a peace settlement if more can be done to organise the Syrian
opposition forces politically and militarily.
Talks
over the terms of the communique lasted until 3am. The Russians
accepted the need for UN weapons inspectors to visit Syria to check
on western claims that Assad has used chemical weapons.
But
Putin flatly refused to have any reference in the communiqué to the
nature of delegations that should be sent to the planned Geneva peace
conference, insisting that this was a matter for both sides.
British
officials insisted that in private Putin had declared no personal
allegiance to Assad, but needed assurances that Syria would not turn
into an ungoverned space on Russia's borders if he were removed.
David Cameron in his press conference at the end of the summit made
repeated calls for Assad's allies to realise that a strong army and
security state would be preserved during a transition, words designed
to reassure them that they would have a future after Assad.
British
officials admitted that the Syrian opposition was still a work in
progress. They had been unable to agree a negotiating mandate for a
new peace conference.
The
G8 communique made no reference to Assad, but called for peace talks
to be resumed as soon as possible. Cameron said the main breakthrough
was an agreement that a transitional government with executive powers
was needed, together with a deal to call for an investigation into
chemical weapons use. "We remain committed to achieving a
political solution to the crisis based on a vision for a united,
inclusive and democratic Syria," the final communique read. "We
strongly endorse the decision to hold as soon as possible the Geneva
conference on Syria."
Putin
struck a defiant tone in public, telling the west that sending
weapons to rebels could backfire one day, while he defended his own
military contacts with the Syrian government.
"There
are different types of supplies. We supply weapons based on legal
contracts to a legal government … And if we sign these contracts
[in the future], we will supply [more arms]."
In
the final document, G8 leaders also called on the Syrian authorities
and the opposition to commit to destroying all organisations
affiliated with al-Qaida, a reflection of growing concern in the west
that Islamist militants are playing a more dominant role in the rebel
ranks.
Cameron,
who chaired the summit, said separately after the talks that the west
believed strongly that there was no place for Assad in a future
Syria. "It is unthinkable that President Assad can play any part
in the future of his country. He has blood on his hands. You can't
imagine a Syria where this man continues to rule having done such
awful things to his people."
He
appealed to Assad's acolytes to abandon the president, insisting the
need for the retention of a strong security force showed they would
have a future role in Syria. He said the aim was "to learn the
lessons of Iraq by ensuring the key institutions of the state are
maintained through the transition and there is no vacuum. To those
who have been loyal to Assad but who know he has to go and who want
stability in their country, they should take note of this point."
In
the house of Commons, John Bercow, the speaker, said it would be
"undemocratic and inappropriate" if the government declined
to hold a full parliamentary vote if ministers decide to arm the
Syrian opposition. The speaker issued his warning after William Hague
told MPs that the government would consult parliament but declined to
explain the nature of the vote.
Bercow
told the former Labour minister Peter Hain, who raised the matter on
a point of order: "I have the sense that the government are
hinting that they would not dream of executing a policy decision of
the kind that is being considered without first seeking a debate in
the house and a vote on a substantive motion. That would obviously be
the democratic course. I think it is the democratic course on a
substantive motion that the government have in mind. I am not sure
that there was any other idea ever in their mind, but I feel sure
that if it was in their mind, it was speedily expunged as
undemocratic and inappropriate."
Russia's
deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, speaking on the sidelines,
said earlier that any debate about Assad's role in the resolution of
the conflict was unthinkable, adding he would not tolerate an outcome
that led to Assad's capitulation. "This would be not just
unacceptable for the Russian side, but we are convinced that it would
be utterly wrong, harmful and would completely upset the political
balance," Ryabkov said.
In
a further development, the French president, François Hollande,
opened the door to Iran attending a Syria peace conference, but
reiterated that there was no future for Assad.
Paris
had previously ruled out Iran taking part in the proposed conference,
saying Tehran had no desire for peace, but a new Iranian president,
Hassan Rouhani, was elected on Friday.
"There
will no future for Syria with Assad. The Russians are not yet ready
to say or write it, but when we speak of transition ... it's
difficult to see how he (Assad) could be responsible for it,"
Hollande said.British officials said they did not rule out Iran
attending talks, but needed to know more about the new president and
what he would do about the Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in Syria.
Putin:
Didn’t feel isolated, not all G8 leaders agree Assad used chemical
weapons
There is no proof that the Syrian government used chemical weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the G8 summit. Some of the G8 countries share this view, he added.
RT,
18
June, 2013
“We
do not have any facts of the use of such weapons by the Syrian
government. I assure you, that by no means all the G8 members believe
that they were used,” Putin said.
The
Russian President stressed he “never felt isolated” at the summit
despite the difference in views, and said the G8 leaders have been
seeking a common solution to the Syrian conflict.
Supplying
arms to the rebels based on unconfirmed reports that chemical weapons
were used by the Assad government would further destabilize Syria,
Putin warned.
Putin
urged Western nations not to be hasty in arming the Syrian
opposition, saying that such weapons could fall into the wrong hands,
or be uncontrollable.
“I
call on all our partners to think twice before making such steps. It
is a very dangerous stuff,” the Russian president said, pointing to
the “horrible” and “tragic” Woolwich murder.
There
are “loads of such criminals fighting for the [Syrian] opposition,
who could commit a brutal murder like this,” he stressed.
However,
Putin did not rule out Russia signing new arms contracts with the
Syrian government. The Russian president stressed that all such
contracts comport with international law: “We are supplying arms
under legal contracts to the legitimate government. It is the
government of the President Assad. And if we are going to make such
contracts, then we will deliver.”
Russia
and the United States will spearhead the development of a peace plan
for Syria, Putin said.
Germany's
Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, British
Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama along with
other G8 leaders take part in the second Plenary Session of the G8
summit at the Lough Erne resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland on
June 18, 2013. (AFP Photo / Stefan Rousseau)
The
G8 countries have agreed that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
and the US Secretary of State John Kerry will take on “main role
and the main burden of responsibility” for working out the
principles of the solution to the crisis, he added.
Tuesday’s
communique by the G8 nations calling for an end to the fighting in
Syria represents a “much better outcome” than was expected,
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
Harper
also apparently changed his view on Russia’s role in Syrian
conflict talks, saying there has been “a very significant move on
the part of Mr. Putin and the Russians.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.