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| Putin and Hollande sparring in Paris (Photo from bbc.co.uk) |
In Paris yesterday, Russia’s Vladimir Putin
disputed a remark by France’s François Hollande that any
solution to the Syrian crisis requires Bashar al-Assad to step down or be
removed.
A few hours later in Geneva, Putin’s representative
voted against a resolution by the UN Human Rights Council calling for a special
inquiry into the May 25 Houla massacre that left 108 people, including 49
children and 34 women, dead. The resolution was approved by 41 votes in favor,
three against (Russia, China and Cuba), and two abstaining (Uganda and
Ecuador).
In the resolution, Council members deplored
the “outrageous killings” in Houla and emphasized the continued failure of the
Syrian authorities to protect and promote the rights of all Syrians.
The Council called for the International
Commission of Inquiry on Syria to conduct a “transparent, independent and
prompt investigation into violations of international law with a view to hold
to account those responsible for widespread, systematic and gross human rights
violations, including violations that may amount to crimes against humanity.”
In addition, the Council asked the
Commission of Inquiry to publicly identify, if possible, those responsible for
the atrocities and to submit a report on the results of its investigation at
its next session, which will be held from June 18 to July 6.
It also requested that joint special envoy
Kofi Annan brief the Council at the said upcoming session.
The Commission of Inquiry was established
at the Council’s second Special Session and it presented its first report on 28
November last year, concluding that the substantial body of evidence it had
gathered indicated that gross violations of human rights had been committed by
Syrian military and security forces since the beginning of the Syrian uprising
in March 2011.
In its update to the Council in May, the
Commission of Inquiry said the Syrian Government has so far not provided it
with access to the country.
In addition, it said the Syrian army and
security services committed most of the serious violations as part of military
or search operations in locations thought to host defectors or armed people,
and those seen as rebel supporters.
Before Friday’s vote, the top UN Human
Rights official, Navi Pillay, urged the UN Security Council
to consider referring the case of Syria to the International Criminal Court
(ICC).
In Paris meanwhile, Putin and Hollande clashed over Assad’s ouster.
“We have disagreements
over who is responsible for the violence and over the need for Assad to leave,”
Hollande told a joint press conference after a working dinner. “The actions of
the Syrian regime are intolerable… Any solution to the crisis requires the
departure of Assad,” the French president said
“Why do we think that
if we push someone from the current leadership away from power, prosperity will
arrive there tomorrow?” Putin retorted.
“What is happening in
Libya, in Iraq? 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.
Putin said Russia,
which supplies arms to Syria, “has no special military or economic ties” to the
country and that Assad visited Paris (under Nicolas Sakozy) more than Moscow.
"We are not for
Assad, not for his opposition, we want to reach a situation where violence ends
and a large-scale civil war is averted," he said.
The Russian president
said it was "counterproductive" to declare Annan’s peace mission a
failure, but declined to say how long it should be given to work.
The Russian foreign ministry
Friday backed Damascus claims that the Houla massacre was the work of “terrorist
gangs” intent on undermining Annan’s mission.
However, Putin took a
different line, appearing to concede that government forces had at least played
a part in killing civilians, but saying the rebels were guilty of similar acts.
"How many peaceful
civilians were killed by the opposite side? Did you count? The count goes into
the hundreds there too. Our goal is make peace between the sides of the
conflict."
Asked whether sanctions
should be toughened against Syria, Putin said the UN Security Council should
first of all address the issue.
“I think you know
sanctions don’t always work effectively,” he said.
Putin said Russia would
accept “everything acceptable to the Syrian people.”
“For that acceptable
solution to be found,” he said, “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.”
He said no one might
resolve state structure or country administration issues for the Syrian state.
“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.
In his column
today for the leading Saudi daily Asharq
Alawsat, Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, head of Alarabiya TV news channel, says,
“Not only on Syria, but Russia’s stance has been negative on most crucial
issues.”
Waiting for positive signals
on Syria from Moscow is like building castles in the air, he says. “All the justifications
we give the Russians in the hope they would shift their Syria position are
unwarranted. They will only do so after Assad’s downfall.”
Rashed says, “I can
draw a long list of comparable positions taken by Russia on major international
problems, like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Libya and now Syria. Russia stood by
the villain until the end in all these cases.” Moscow’s support is also what
encouraged Iran to overreach itself in its nuclear program, causing a host of
serious international and regional problems in the Gulf.
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