US slams Assad's 'red-carpet' welcome in Moscow

Moscow, Oct 22: The White House issued a scathing attack on Russia's "red carpet" welcome for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accusing Moscow of impeding progress towards a political transition by propping up the strongman.

Assad met Vladimir Putin in Moscow yesterday and thanked his Russian counterpart for launching airstrikes against his opponents in Syria, with both leaders also agreeing during talks that political steps must follow military operations.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Eric Schultz told journalists the United States viewed "the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, as at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria."

Moscow's actions in the war-torn Middle-Eastern state were "counterproductive", he added. Putin had emphasised during Assad's visit that Syrians should decide their country's fate, a thinly veiled jab at the US and other opposition backers who insist Assad must go in any peaceful settlement.

"Based on positive results in military operations at the end of the day a long-term settlement can be achieved on the basis of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups," the Russian president said.

Russia later announced that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would meet tomorrow with US Secretary of State John Kerry and their Turkish and Saudi counterparts to discuss Syria.

Assad, who last visited Russia in 2008, had told Putin that the three-week-old Russian air war -- which has prompted an outcry in the West -- had helped to stop the spread of "terrorism" in his country.

The strikes are reported to have killed 370 people so far, a third of them civilians. Russia says the campaign targets the extremist Islamic State group and others it describes as "terrorists".

But rebels and the West accuse Moscow of seeking to keep Assad in power and of striking moderate and Islamist opposition forces rather than just Islamic State jihadists.

Putin said Russia was ready to do all it could to help secure peace in Syria, which has been ravaged by the conflict that began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

"We are ready to make our contribution not only during armed hostilities in the fight against terrorism but also during a political process," Putin said.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Assad's "working visit" was at the invitation of the Kremlin. The Syrian presidency said yesterday that Assad had returned to Damascus.

AFP