France fails to shift russia's syria sanctions veto

PARIS - France's new president, Francois Hollande, failed to winthe backing of Russia's Vladimir Putin on Friday for tougher UNsanctions aimed at ending violence in Syria. Outrage at last week's mass killings in the Syrian town of Houlaprompted France to join several Western nations in stepping uppressure on Syria by expelling senior diplomats and calling onRussia to allow tougher action by the UN Security Council. Ahead of Friday's talks in Paris, Hollande said he would use hisfirst meeting with the newly elected Russian president to pressMoscow, a staunch Syrian ally, to back a Security Councilresolution including sanctions on Damascus. "No solution to this crisis is possible without the departure of(President) Bashar al-Assad," Hollande told a joint newsconference. "I believe that more sanctions are an essential part ofa political solution." However, Russia remains steadfastly opposed to any plan that callsfor Assad to step down or be removed.

Putin said the ousting of leaders did not necessarily lead topeace. He cited the case of Libya, where Moscow believes it wastricked by the West into supporting military intervention to toppleMuammar Gaddafi. "Has it become more safe there? Where are we moving? Is there ananswer?" he said, looking a little weary from his first foreigntrip since his election. "We are not for Assad, not for his opposition, we want to reach asituation where violence ends and a large-scale civil war isaverted," he said, dismissing the idea that Russia had any specialeconomic or military interest at stake in Syria. Putin also said that "sanctions don't always work".

Warning there was a real risk of civil war and a regional conflict,Putin said it was "counterproductive" to declare the peace missionof UN/Arab League envoy Kofi Annan a failure, but declined to sayhow long it should be given to work. Annan on Friday voiced his frustration at the continuing violencein Syria after the massacre last week of more than 100 mostlycivilians in the town of Houla, which the United Nations saidappeared to have been the work of the Syrian army and pro-Assadmilitiamen. Damascus blamed the atrocity on the rebels. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday backed the Syriangovernment's assertion that the massacre was the work ofanti-government forces intent on undermining peace efforts.

However, Putin took a different line, appearing to concede thatgovernment forces had at least played a part in killing civilians,but saying that the rebels were guilty of similar acts. "How many peaceful civilians were killed by the opposite side? Didyou count? The count goes into the hundreds there too. Our goal ismake peace between the sides of the conflict." Putin repeated Russia's demand for a legally binding guarantee thata NATO missile defence system would not undermine his country'ssecurity, suggesting verbal assurances were not enough because theWest had deceived Moscow in the past. "They promised us they would not expand NATO, then they promisednot to deploy bases, but NATO is expanding and moving east andbases are springing up like mushrooms," he said.

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