Moscow supports neither Syrian President Bashar Assad nor his opponents but is striving for peace in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after talks with his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
“We are neither for Assad nor for his opponents. We would like to achieve a situation when violence would be stopped and a large-scale civil war prevented. That is our political goal in Syria,” Putin told journalists on Friday.
The Russian president added that Russia would accept “everything that is acceptable for the Syrian people.”
“For that acceptable solution to be found, violence needs to be stopped on both sides, all conflicting parties be seated at the negotiating table and a situation created when they are able to agree with one another,” Putin said.
He said no one may resolve state structure or country administration issues for the Syrian nation.
“If you think you can decide that for other nations, go to Cairo now and take part in the Egyptian presidential elections. You can’t do that! Nor can you or anyone else do that in Syria,” Putin said.
Over 9,000 people have been killed in clashes between the government and opposition forces in Syria since the start of the uprising against the Assad regime, according to UN estimates.
Russia and China have twice vetoed UN Security Council resolutions over what Moscow called a pro-rebel bias since the start of the uprising against Assad, but have supported UN special envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan. The veto was meant to prevent the repetition of the “Libyan scenario.”
Moscow insists that both the government and “armed terrorist gangs” operating in Syria should be held responsible for the unrest.
Over 100 people, including dozens of children and women, were killed in Houla in Homs province, in the May 25-26 attack that was one of the deadliest single events since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011. Syrian authorities denied involvement, blaming “anti-government armed groups” for the massacre.
“Why do we think that if we push someone from the current leadership away from power, prosperity will arrive there tomorrow?” Putin said.
“What is happening in Libya? We all know what kind of a tyrant [Muammar] Gaddafi was. Maybe. But do you know what was happening in Sirte when militants entered the city? Why do you not write about that? Has humanitarian wellbeing settled there?” Putin asked journalists.
In Libya, rebels ousted and killed long-standing dictator Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011 after a months-long military standoff in which they received assistance from NATO forces.
The Russian president praised Annan and said he hopes Annan’s peace plan will be a success in Syria.
According to the UN, the six-point plan put forward by Annan in March calls for an end to violence and access for humanitarian agencies to Syria. It also says detainees should be released, inclusive political dialogue started with account for the aspirations of the Syrian people, and unrestricted access of international media to the country ensured.
Asked whether sanctions should be toughened against Syria, Putin said the issue should first of all be addressed by the UN Security Council.
“I think you know that sanctions do not always work effectively,” he said.
French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday said on TV that he did not rule out military intervention in Syria if approved by the UN Security Council.
The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said on Wednesday that the worst and most likely scenario in Syria might be the option of acting outside of the UN Security Council’s authority.
