orenbus
09-02-2013, 11:04 AM
http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-116431-Russia-to-send-delegation-to-US-Congress-for-Syria-talks--
MOSCOW: Russian authorities are planning to send a parliamentary delegation to the United States for talks with the Congress over Syria, in a move publicly endorsed Monday by President Vladimir Putin.
"The initiative is very timely and correct," Putin told speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament Valentina Matviyenko and speaker of the lower house of parliament Sergei Naryshkin.
"Holding direct dialogue with the US parliament on the Syrian problem" will be a significant contribution to Russian-American relations, Putin said.
The carefully choreographed Kremlin meeting comes after US President Barack Obama stunned the world on Saturday by delaying military action against Syria and saying he would seek authorisation from the Congress.
The latest Kremlin initiative appears aimed at persuading the US Congress to vote down Obama's request, although it is unclear what sway the Russian delegates could have over US lawmakers.
"We would like to address the Senate and the Congress," said Matviyenko, noting the delegation would try to travel to the United States before September 9 when US lawmakers return from their summer recess.
Russia has supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the two and a half year conflict and has repeatedly blocked any attempts to punish his regime at the UN Security Council.
Obama's administration says Assad's forces used nerve agent sarin to kill more than 1,400 people in a Damascus suburb on August 21. Putin has said that the idea Assad's forces could have used such weapons is "utter nonsense". (AFP)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/02/us-syria-conflict-russia-usa-idUSBRE9810D420130902
(Reuters) - Russian lawmakers want to travel to Washington to urge the U.S. Congress not to back President Barack Obama's plan for military strikes on Syria, the speaker of the upper house of parliament told President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Dismissing U.S. accusations that the Syrian government had killed hundreds of its own people with poison gas as nothing but "talk", senior legislator Valentina Matviyenko said both chambers were ready to send delegations.
Russia is one of the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has already blocked several Western-led resolutions in the U.N. Security Council to sanction him over his crackdown on a now 2-1/2-year-old uprising.
"I think if we manage to establish a dialogue with our partners in the U.S. Congress, to exchange arguments, we could possibly better understand each other," Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, told Putin at his residence near Moscow.
"We hope that the U.S. Congress will occupy a balanced position in the end and without strong arguments in place ... will not support the proposal on use of force in Syria," Matviyenko added.
Obama said on Friday he would seek Congressional authorization for punitive action against Assad after what Washington said was a sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,400 people.
Putin rejected the U.S. assertions hours later, saying on Saturday he was convinced the August 21 attack was staged by Assad's opponents to provoke military intervention.
It was uncertain what sort of reception a Russian delegation would receive in the United States.
Both countries passed legislation last year to punish the other for alleged human rights violations. Moscow has also defied Washington by granting temporary asylum to former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.
MOSCOW: Russian authorities are planning to send a parliamentary delegation to the United States for talks with the Congress over Syria, in a move publicly endorsed Monday by President Vladimir Putin.
"The initiative is very timely and correct," Putin told speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament Valentina Matviyenko and speaker of the lower house of parliament Sergei Naryshkin.
"Holding direct dialogue with the US parliament on the Syrian problem" will be a significant contribution to Russian-American relations, Putin said.
The carefully choreographed Kremlin meeting comes after US President Barack Obama stunned the world on Saturday by delaying military action against Syria and saying he would seek authorisation from the Congress.
The latest Kremlin initiative appears aimed at persuading the US Congress to vote down Obama's request, although it is unclear what sway the Russian delegates could have over US lawmakers.
"We would like to address the Senate and the Congress," said Matviyenko, noting the delegation would try to travel to the United States before September 9 when US lawmakers return from their summer recess.
Russia has supported the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the two and a half year conflict and has repeatedly blocked any attempts to punish his regime at the UN Security Council.
Obama's administration says Assad's forces used nerve agent sarin to kill more than 1,400 people in a Damascus suburb on August 21. Putin has said that the idea Assad's forces could have used such weapons is "utter nonsense". (AFP)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/02/us-syria-conflict-russia-usa-idUSBRE9810D420130902
(Reuters) - Russian lawmakers want to travel to Washington to urge the U.S. Congress not to back President Barack Obama's plan for military strikes on Syria, the speaker of the upper house of parliament told President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
Dismissing U.S. accusations that the Syrian government had killed hundreds of its own people with poison gas as nothing but "talk", senior legislator Valentina Matviyenko said both chambers were ready to send delegations.
Russia is one of the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has already blocked several Western-led resolutions in the U.N. Security Council to sanction him over his crackdown on a now 2-1/2-year-old uprising.
"I think if we manage to establish a dialogue with our partners in the U.S. Congress, to exchange arguments, we could possibly better understand each other," Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, told Putin at his residence near Moscow.
"We hope that the U.S. Congress will occupy a balanced position in the end and without strong arguments in place ... will not support the proposal on use of force in Syria," Matviyenko added.
Obama said on Friday he would seek Congressional authorization for punitive action against Assad after what Washington said was a sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,400 people.
Putin rejected the U.S. assertions hours later, saying on Saturday he was convinced the August 21 attack was staged by Assad's opponents to provoke military intervention.
It was uncertain what sort of reception a Russian delegation would receive in the United States.
Both countries passed legislation last year to punish the other for alleged human rights violations. Moscow has also defied Washington by granting temporary asylum to former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden.