NOVO-OGARYOVO,
Russia (AP) -- President Vladimir Putin warned the West against
taking one-sided action in Syria but also said Russia "doesn't exclude"
supporting a U.N. resolution on punitive military strikes if it is
proved that Damascus used poison gas on its own people.
In
a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press and Russia's state
Channel 1 television, Putin said Moscow has provided some components of
the S-300 air defense missile system to Syria but has frozen further
shipments. He suggested that Russia may sell the potent missile systems
elsewhere if Western nations attack Syria without U.N. Security Council
backing.
The interview Tuesday night at
Putin's country residence outside the Russian capital was the only one
he granted prior to the summit of G-20 nations in St. Petersburg, which
opens Thursday. The summit was supposed to concentrate on the global
economy but now looks likely to be dominated by the international crisis
over allegations that the Syrian government used chemical weapons in
the country's civil war.
Putin said he felt
sorry that President Barack Obama canceled a one-on-one meeting in
Moscow that was supposed to have happened before the summit. But he
expressed hope the two would have serious discussions about Syria and
other issues in St. Petersburg.
"President
Obama hasn't been elected by the American people in order to be pleasant
to Russia. And your humble servant hasn't been elected by the people of
Russia to be pleasant to someone either," he said of their
relationship.
"We work, we argue about some
issues. We are human. Sometimes one of us gets vexed. But I would like
to repeat once again that global mutual interests form a good basis for
finding a joint solution to our problems," Putin said.
He
also denied that Russia has anti-gay policies - an issue that has
threatened to embarrass the country as it prepares to host the Winter
Olympics in February.
The Russian leader, a
year into his third term as president, appeared to go out of his way to
be conciliatory amid a growing chill in U.S.-Russian relations. The two
countries have sparred over Syria, the Edward Snowden affair, Russia's
treatment of its opposition and the diminishing scope in Russia for
civil society groups that receive funding from the West.
Putin
said it was "ludicrous" that the government of President Bashar Assad -
a staunch ally of Russia - would use chemical weapons at a time when it
was holding sway against the rebels.
"From
our viewpoint, it seems absolutely absurd that the armed forces, the
regular armed forces, which are on the offensive today and in some areas
have encircled the so-called rebels and are finishing them off, that in
these conditions they would start using forbidden chemical weapons
while realizing quite well that it could serve as a pretext for applying
sanctions against them, including the use of force," he said.
The
Obama administration says 1,429 people died in the Aug. 21 attack in a
Damascus suburb. Casualty estimates by other groups are far lower, and
Assad's government blames the episode on rebels trying to overthrow him.
A U.N. inspection team is awaiting lab results on tissue and soil
samples it collected while in Syria before completing a report.
"If
there are data that the chemical weapons have been used, and used
specifically by the regular army, this evidence should be submitted to
the U.N. Security Council," added Putin, a former officer in the Soviet
KGB. "And it ought to be convincing. It shouldn't be based on some
rumors and information obtained by special services through some kind of
eavesdropping, some conversations and things like that."
He
noted that even in the U.S., "there are experts who believe that the
evidence presented by the administration doesn't look convincing, and
they don't exclude the possibility that the opposition conducted a
premeditated provocative action trying to give their sponsors a pretext
for military intervention."
He compared the
evidence presented by Washington to false data used by the Bush
administration about weapons of mass destruction to justify the 2003
invasion of Iraq.
"All these arguments turned
out to be untenable, but they were used to launch a military action,
which many in the U.S. called a mistake. Did we forget about that?"
Putin said.
He said he "doesn't exclude"
backing the use of force against Syria at the United Nations if there is
objective evidence proving that Assad's regime used chemical weapons
against its people. But he strongly warned Washington against launching
military action without U.N. approval, saying it would represent an
aggression.
Putin reinforced his demand that
before taking action, Obama needed approval from the U.N. Security
Council. Russia can veto resolutions in the council and has protected
Syria from punitive actions there before.
Asked
what kind of evidence on chemical weapons use would convince Russia,
Putin said "it should be a deep and specific probe containing evidence
that would be obvious and prove beyond doubt who did it and what means
were used."
Putin said it was "too early" to talk about what Russia would do if the U.S. attacked Syria.
"We
have our ideas about what we will do and how we will do it in case the
situation develops toward the use of force or otherwise," he said. "We
have our plans."
Putin called the S-300 air
defense missile system "a very efficient weapon" and said that Russia
had a contract for its delivery of the S-300s to Syria. "We have
supplied some of the components, but the delivery hasn't been completed.
We have suspended it for now," he said.
"But
if we see that steps are taken that violate the existing international
norms, we shall think how we should act in the future, in particular
regarding supplies of such sensitive weapons to certain regions of the
world," he said.
The statement could be a
veiled threat to revive a contract for the delivery of the S-300s to
Iran, which Russia canceled a few years ago under strong U.S. and
Israeli pressure.
Putin praised Obama as a
frank and constructive negotiating partner and denied reports that he
had taken personal offense at remarks by Obama comparing Putin's body
language to that of a slouching, bored student. Putin said appearances
can be deceiving.
Putin also accused U.S.
intelligence agencies of bungling efforts to apprehend Snowden, the
National Security Agency leaker, who is wanted in the U.S. on espionage
charges. He said the United States could have allowed Snowden to go to a
country where his security would not be guaranteed or intercepted him
along the way, but instead pressured other countries not to accept him
or even to allow a plane carrying him to cross their airspace. Russia
has granted him temporary asylum.
Putin also
gave the first official confirmation that Snowden had been in touch with
Russian officials in Hong Kong before flying to Moscow on June 23, but
said he only learned that Snowden was on the flight two hours before it
arrived. Putin once again denied that Russia's security services are
working with Snowden, whose stay in Russia has been shrouded in secrecy.
On
another topic, he denied at length charges that Russia has anti-gay
policies, indicating that Obama was welcome to meet with gay and lesbian
activists in Russia during his visit. He even said he might meet with a
similar group himself if there is interest from the gay community in
Russia.
Putin rejected the criticism of a
Russian law banning gay propaganda that prompted some activists to call
for the boycott of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, arguing that it
wouldn't infringe on the rights of gays.
He
also said that athletes and activists would not be punished if they
raise rainbow flags or paint their fingernails in rainbow colors at the
Feb. 7-23 Olympics.
But he clearly has no
intention of allowing a gay pride parade or other such actions: Last
month, Putin signed a decree banning all demonstrations and rallies in
Sochi throughout the Winter Games.
As for the
body language between Putin and Obama that some have said suggested a
difficult working relationship, the Russian president urged everyone to
avoid jumping to conclusions.
"There are some
gestures, of course, that you can only interpret one way, but no one has
ever seen those kinds of gestures directed by Obama at me or by me at
Obama, and I hope that never happens," he said.
"Everything else is fantasy."
---
Associated Press writer Laura Mills in Moscow contributed to this report.
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