AFP, Moscow :
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow’s goal in Syria was to “stabilise the legitimate authority” and strike a “decisive blow” against terrorism.
“We have no plans to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs,” he told a group of naval officers returning from Syria, where six years of war have killed more than 310,000 people.
“Our task is to stabilise the legitimate authority in the country and strike a decisive blow against international terrorism,” said Putin, whose administration is a key ally of the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Putin’s comments, broadcast on Russian television, came as UN-backed peace talks were opening in Geneva between opposition and government delegations.
“The sooner the country reaches a political settlement, the better the chances for the international community to put an end to the terrorist plague on Syrian territory,” he said.
Russia began its military intervention to bolster Assad’s forces in September 2015, turning the tables on the battlefield just as militant forces were strengthening their hold on key areas. Russian intervention also helped the Syrian government retake militant areas in the east of the northern city of Aleppo after four years of fighting.
In January, Moscow withdrew its naval force from Syrian waters, including its only aircraft carrier in service, the Admiral Kuznetsov, as part of an announced reduction of its military role.
Putin said the naval force had fulfilled its objective of helping to “create the conditions for pursuing peace talks between the Syrian government and the armed opposition.” He also said that Russia’s Syria intervention had “contributed directly to Russia’s security”.
According to Russian intelligence services, about 4,000 Russian citizens and 5,000 citizens from the former Soviet Union are fighting alongside the militant Islamic State group in Syria, Putin said, posing an “enormous risk” for Russia.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is likely to vote next week on a draft resolution that would slap sanctions on Syria over the use of chemical weapons, but Russia is almost certain to veto the measure, diplomats said Thursday.
Britain, France and the United States are pushing for a ban on the sale of helicopters to Syria and sanctions on 11 Syrians and 10 entities linked to chemical attacks in the nearly six-year war.
The measure follows a joint investigation by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) which concluded in October that the Syrian military had carried out at least three chemical attacks in 2014 and 2015.
“This is the significant response that the Security Council committed to do in the event of proven use of CW in Syria,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“The US, UK and France are very clear that this is an issue of principle,” he said. Russia’s ambassador said at a meeting last week that Moscow would block the measure, said the diplomat.
Russia has used its veto six times to shield its Damascus ally from any punitive action.
China, another veto-wielding Security Council member, is expected to abstain in the vote. France and Britain presented a first draft on imposing sanctions on Syria in December, but held off on action to give the new US administration time to study it.
Another Security Council diplomat said the trio was moving ahead now that US President Donald Trump’s administration was fully onboard with the push for sanctions against Syria.
The vote could take place as early as Monday or Tuesday.
