UNITED NATIONS // US president Barack Obama and Russian president Vladimir Putin clashed at the United Nations on Monday over their competing visions for Syria.
Mr Obama urged a political transition to replace Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, while Mr Putin called for a UN resolution including Mr Al Assad’s troops and Iran in an anti-ISIL force.
Their duelling speeches at the UN General Assembly came before a private meeting that was due to take place late on Monday night.
The sit-down marks their first face-to-face encounter in nearly a year and comes amid escalating Russian military engagement in Syria.
Mr Obama said he was open to working with Russia – as well as Iran – to bring Syria’s civil war to an end. However, he called for a “managed transition” that would result in the ouster of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, whose forces have clashed with rebels for more than four years, creating a vacuum for ISIL and other extremist groups.
“We must recognise that there cannot be, after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the pre-war status quo,” Mr Obama said.
In a direct attack on Russia and Iran, he denounced those who support leaders like Mr Al Assad, accusing him of slaughtering children.
He said some states prefer stability over the international order mandated by the UN Charter, and try to impose it by force.
“We’re told that such retrenchment is required to beat back disorder, that it’s the only way to stamp out terrorism or prevent foreign meddling,” he said.
“In accordance with this logic, we should support tyrants like Bashar Al Assad who drops barrel bombs to massacre innocent children, because the alternative is surely worse.”
Mr Putin, however, urged the world to stick with Mr Al Assad, arguing that his military is the only viable option for defeating ISIL.
“We believe it’s a huge mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian authorities, with the government forces, those who are bravely fighting terror face-to-face,” the Russian president said.
He called for a “broad coalition” to fight ISIL in Syria, likening such a grouping to the “anti-Hitler” alliance that fought together during World War Two. He said Muslim countries “should play a key role”.
In a later address to the assembly, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani echoed Mr Putin’s remarks, calling for a “united front” to fight the extremists.
“I would like to invite the whole world and especially the countries in my region to form a joint comprehensive plan of action to create a united front against extremism and violence,” he said.
Turkey’s prime minister, meanwhile, said Ankara was willing to work with all countries – including Russia – to find a political solution in Syria without Mr Al Assad and to defeat ISIL.
“We are ready to cooperate with any country to fight ISIS,” Ahmet Davutoglu said.
“What we need to do is having solidarity with all the countries, including Russia, to make a transition in Syria a peaceful transition and in the new Syria, there should not be any place for Assad or Daesh.”
Mr Obama and Mr Putin’s differing views of the grim situation in Syria left little indication of how the two countries might work together to end a conflict that has killed more than 250,000 people and resulted in a flood of refugees.
Russia has appeared to deepen its support for Mr Al Assad in recent weeks, sending additional military equipment and troops with the justification that it is helping the government fight ISIL.
While Mr Putin didn’t call out the US by name, he criticised efforts to arm “moderate” rebels in Syria, saying Western-backed fighters have later come to join ISIL
Washington has little to show for its efforts to build a moderate Syrian ground force that can effectively fight the extremists. A US$500 million (Dh1.8bn) Pentagon programme was supposed to train and equip more than 5,000 fighters, but has instead successfully produced only a handful.
Mr Obama and Mr Putin each framed his case for Syria’s future in the context of a broader approach to the world, launching veiled criticisms at each other.
The US president criticised nations that believe “might makes right,” and sought instead to highlight the benefits of diplomacy. He touted his administration’s efforts to restore ties with Cuba after a half-century freeze and the completion of a nuclear accord with Iran, noting that Russia was a key partner in negotiating the Iran deal.
Mr Putin, without naming the US, opened his remarks by criticising a “single centre of dominance” that has emerged since the end of the Cold War. He suggested the US was seeking to circumvent the UN.
* Associated Press, Agence France-Presse
