BBC: Putin Writes to Americans on US Strike Against Syria

Published on Sep 12, 2013

Putin writes to Americans on US strike against Syria.
He wrote in the New York Times that a US military strike against Syria could unleash a new wave of terrorism.

The US had threatened strikes, accusing the Syrian regime of killing hundreds in a poison-gas attack on 21 August.

Instead, Russia, an ally of Damascus, proposed that Syria hand over its chemical arsenal. The US and Russia are due to meet later to discuss that plan.

The Syrian government, which denies that it has used chemical weapons on its own people, has agreed at least partially to the Russian proposal.
The diplomatic moves prompted US President Barack Obama to put military action against Syria on hold.

In his New York Times article, Mr Putin said recent events had prompted him to “speak directly to the American people and their political leaders”.

He warned that the UN could suffer the same fate as its predecessor, the League of Nations, if “influential countries… take military action without Security Council authorisation”.

“The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the Pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders,” he wrote.

“A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism.”

He reiterated Russia’s opinion that the gas attack of 21 August was probably carried out by opposition forces “to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons”.

US Secretary of State John Kerry is preparing to meet Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva later to discuss Moscow’s proposal.

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