NEW YORK, September 12 (Itar-Tass) - There are strong reasons to state that not official Damascus, but the opposition forces are behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an article published by The New York Times on Wednesday.
“No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria,” Putin noted. “But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists.” In this connection, Putin writes, “reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.”
“From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future,” the Russian leader stated. “We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not,” he stressed. “Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defence or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.”
“It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States,” Russian president added. “Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us,” Putin emphasised.
Meanwhile, Putin’s article has sparked interest among Americans, local media reported. For example, New York Public Radio note that Russia’s president chose the perfect time to appeal to Americans, using the short period of U.S.-Russia relations when American citizens share Putin’s point of view – they don’t want their country to fight in Syria. A number of American political scientists highlighted that Russia is successful at influencing global politics, as demonstrated by the Syrian crisis resolution.