President Barack Obama said Tuesday that China and Russia are “not
aligned” with the US and other nations on Syria but says both countries’
leaders recognize the dangers of a civil war.
Obama’s comments at the end of the Group of 20 meeting of the world’s
largest economies came after Russian President Vladimir Putin said only
the Syrian people have the right to decide whether their leader, Bashar
Assad, steps down.
Putin told a separate news conference that only some Syrians “who are
represented by the armed position” want Assad to step down.
“It’s my personal belief, and I shared this with them, I don’t see a
scenario in which Assad stays and violence is reduced,” Obama countered.
While Obama said Russia and China recognize the dangers of all out civil
war in Syria, “I wouldn’t suggest that at this point the United States
and the rest of the international community are aligned with Russia and
China in their positions.”
Obama met with Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of an economic summit. Syria was a top subject.
China and Russia have close ties to Syria and have vetoed two UN
resolutions that mentioned the threat of sanctions against President
Assad’s regime. China and Russia, however, did support an observer
mission in Syria and a plan by special envoy Kofi Annan to end the
violence.
Putin and Obama agreed in bilateral talks Monday that Syrians should
choose their own next government, indicating a subtle shift for both.
“It’s important to arrive at such a situation” through negotiations
among groups in Syria, Putin said Tuesday. “The security and interests
of all parties should be agreed upon, not like some countries in North
Africa, where violence still continues, despite a regime change.”
Since the start of the anti-Assad uprising in March 2011, the regime has
responded to unrest with brute force, dispatching snipers, troops and
tanks to quash dissent. Activists say more than 14,000 people have been
killed since, many of them civilians.
In general, the violence has not stopped the uprising, emboldening
protesters, galvanizing international condemnation and leading many in
the opposition to take up arms.
Putin said Russia and the U.S. still differ on many issues after talks during the G-20.
“It will not be settled, the missile-defense problem, irrespective of
whether Obama is going to be reelected or not,” he said. “To drastically
change it, it would take the U.S. to agree with our proposal,” to share
control of the system.
Associated Press Writer Ben Feller contributed to this report from Los Cabos, Mexico.
AP
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