Page 9 - Aruba Today

WORLD NEWS 9
Tuesday 24 November 2015

Russia’s Putin in Iran for talks focusing on Syria

launched an air cam- against terrorism, our two the gas summit.
paign against the Islamic The Turkmen leader voiced
State group and other in- countries have shown how uneasiness about Russia
surgents, while Tehran has using the Caspian Sea for
sent military advisers to to deal with the issue in a some of the strikes on Syr-
shore up Assad. ia, but Putin said using the
Putin, on a one-day visit to serious way,” said Rouhani. Caspian would continue
attend a gas exporting na- “for as long as we see nec-
tions’ summit, praised Iran The peace plan put for- essary to punish the cul-
for its support of Russia’s prits” behind the plane at-
operation in Syria. ward by 17 nations a day tack. The proposal, which
“All that has been done in seems to draw heavily on a
coordination with our Ira- after the horrific Paris at- recently circulated Russian
nian partners and without initiative, states that “free
their help it would have tacks sets a Jan. 1 dead- and fair elections” would
been impossible,” he said be held according to a
“While some countries only line for the start of negotia- new constitution within 18
imitate action in the fight months.q
tions between Assad and

the Syrian opposition.

“The Syrian crisis must and

will be decided by political

means,” Putin said during a

meeting with his Turkmen

counterpart, President

Iran President Hassan Rouhani, right, shakes hands with Russian Gurbanguli Berdymukham-
President Vladimir Putin prior to attending the Gas Exporting
Countries Forum, GECF, summit meeting in Tehran, Iran, edov, on the sidelines of
Monday, Nov. 23, 2015.

(Sergei Guneyev/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool/AP)

V. ISACHENKOV at the negotiating table
Associated Press the goals they could not
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Rus- achieve by military means
sia’s President Vladimir Pu- in Syria.”
tin visited Tehran on Mon- “This must be prevented
day for talks with Iranian through wisdom and ac-
leaders that focused on tive interaction,” Khame-
the Syrian crisis and an in- nei told Putin at the start of
ternational peace plan in- their meeting that lasted
tended to end the conflict. more than an hour and a
During his meeting with half.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Putin’s visit comes as Rus-
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sia, the United States,
both Putin and the top France and others are talk-
cleric warned against any ing about possible joint
effort to impose a political action against the Islamic
settlement on Syria. State group following the
“No one from the outside terror attacks in Paris and
can and should enforce the downing of a Russian
models of government on passenger jet in Egypt —
the Syrian people and de- both attacks claimed by IS.
termine who should be in Putin’s trip also comes on
charge,” Putin said. “Only the heels of agreement on
the Syrian people should an incomplete peace plan
decide that.” that calls for talks between
Putin underlined that Syrian President Bashar
stance after a later meet- Assad and his foes.
ing with President Hassan Moscow and Tehran have
Rouhani. “There is no other been the key backers of
way to reach a long-term Assad throughout his na-
settlement of the Syrian tion’s civil war, which has
problem except through killed over 250,000 people
political talks,” he said. and turned millions into ref-
Khamenei accused the ugees.
United States and its al- Russia has shielded Syria
lies of trying “to achieve from international sanc-
through diplomacy and tions, and on Sept. 30 it