MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) – Russian lawmakers are ready to meet with their US counterparts to discuss ways of resolving the Syria situation without the use of force, the speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament said Tuesday in a letter to the US Senate majority leader.
Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, called in the letter for an urgent meeting in Washington, Moscow or any other place.
“We sincerely hope for a positive response from our American colleagues,” Matviyenko wrote, adding that not all diplomatic options had been exhausted.
“As a parliamentarian and a diplomat, I am urging you to work with us to avert fatal steps before it is too late,” she wrote.
If the United States decides without the approval of the UN Security Council to use military force in Syria, it “would be a gross violation of the rules of international law and play into the hands of extremist and radical groups in the Middle East,” Matviyenko wrote.
President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed an initiative by Russian lawmakers to establish dialogue with their US counterparts. Putin praised the proposal as “very timely,” expressing hope that it would give US lawmakers “a better feel and understanding of the Russian position.” Putin assured the Russian lawmakers that he would do all he could to facilitate such bilateral talks.
US President Barack Obama said Saturday that his country was considering a “limited” attack in Syria. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have died so far in the two-year civil war.
The United States on Friday released a report saying Syria’s government was responsible for a chemical attack that purportedly killed hundreds of civilians in a Damascus suburb late last month. The Syrian regime has consistently denied that allegation.
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