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Russia slams US-initiated anti-terror UN summit

Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin (AFP)

Russia has censured as “disgraceful” a move initiated by Washington to hold an anti-terrorism summit at the United Nations, saying the move runs counter to the UN efforts to stem terrorism.

“This initiative seriously undermines UN efforts in this direction,” Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin, also serving as the current president of the UN Security Council, said on Tuesday.

“It is simply disrespectful towards the organization to conduct these things at the UN.”

Churkin’s remarks came after US President Barack Obama chaired a UN gathering of world leaders, seeking support for pressing ahead with a Washington-led coalition which is purportedly fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

US President Barack Obama, center, speaks during Leaders’ Summit on Countering ISIL and Violent Extremism on the sidelines of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, September 29, 2015. (AFP photo)

“The UN has its own anti-terror strategy and everything could easily be done within the UN framework,” the Russian diplomat said, adding, “But Americans would not be Americans if they did not seek to demonstrate their leadership.”

Russia was invited to the summit but refused to attend as Moscow seeks to form a UN-led coalition against terrorism.

'Broad anti-terror coalition'

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, where he urged governments around the world to unite in the battle against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists operating in Syria and Iraq.

The Russian president also called for a “broad anti-terror coalition” to fight Daesh.

Muslim countries “should play a key role” in the coalition, he stated, adding that an international anti-Daesh union on the model of “anti-Hitler” wartime alliance must be created. 

He further noted that Russia plans to step up support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that regard.

The US administration, however, is against the Assad administration. Washington has been repeatedly accused of providing support for militants in the country. The US has been calling for President Assad to step down as a prerequisite for the resolution of the crisis in Syria.

Over the past weeks, Washington and its allies have been accusing Moscow of a covert military buildup in Syria. The Kremlin denies the charges, saying it will send troops to Syria if Damascus makes such a request.

The US and its allies including some Persian Gulf Arab kingdoms, which have supported militants in Syria since 2011, have been involved in airstrikes against alleged positions of Daesh in Syria without authorization from the Syrian government. The attacks have caused civilian deaths and destruction of Syrian infrastructure.

The so-called US-led coalition has also been engaged in similar operations against Daesh terrorists in neighboring Iraq, but they have been assessed by Iraqi authorities as largely ineffective since they have not resulted in eliminating the terror threat in the parts of the country where the Takfiri militants are present.


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