Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a session of the 23rd World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir
Putin has canceled a visit to Paris next week after President Francois Hollande
said he would see him only for talks on Syria - the latest episode in
deteriorating relations between Moscow and the West.
French officials have been
grappling for ways to put new pressure on Russia after Moscow vetoed a
French-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria. French
officials' growing anger over a Russian-backed Syrian government onslaught
against rebel-held areas of the city of Aleppo had led them to reconsider
whether to host Putin on Oct. 19.
"I made it known to Mr
Putin that if he came to Paris, I would not accompany him to any ceremonies,
but that I was ready to continue the dialogue on Syria.
He decided to postpone
the visit," Hollande said at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.
The Russian president had been
scheduled to inaugurate a new Russian Orthodox cathedral and visit a Russian
art exhibition in the French capital on Oct. 19.
The Kremlin confirmed Putin's
decision, but made no mention of Syria and said he was ready to come to Paris
at Hollande's convenience.
While Paris has said it is
vital to keep dialogue going with Moscow and not sever relations, events in
Syria have damaged their ties as the two countries support opposite sides in
the conflict.
Describing Russian air strikes
in Syria as "war crimes", Hollande said it was still necessary to
talk with Moscow, but only if discussions were "firm, frank,"
otherwise it would be a "charade."
"With Russia, France has
a major disagreement on Syria and the Russian veto of the French resolution at
the U.N. Security Council has prevented the cessation of bombings and
enablement of a truce," Hollande said at the Council of Europe.
"I'm ready to meet
President Putin if we can advance peace, end the bombings and announce a
truce," he said.
France's foreign minister said
on Monday his diplomats were working to find a way for the International
Criminal Court's prosecutor to launch an investigation into war crimes it says
have been committed by Syrian and Russian forces in eastern Aleppo.
Diplomats have also said Paris
is leading discussions on whether to impose new European Union sanctions on
Russia specifically over Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad in
a more than five-year-old civil war.
(Additional reporting by
Elizabeth Pineau and Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Ingrid Melander/Mark
Heinrich)
No comments:
Post a Comment