“Moscow’s initiative to resolve the crisis in Syria and the steps the Russian government has taken in this regard have created hopes that a new war [could] be prevented,” Rouhani told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Friday.
During the meeting, held following the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital city of Bishkek, Rouhani stressed the significance of the bilateral negotiations in the resolution of the Middle East crises.
The war rhetoric against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching a chemical attack against militant strongholds on the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.
Damascus vehemently denied the accusation, saying the attack was a false-flag operation carried out by militants to provoke foreign intervention.
On September 9, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said Damascus welcomed a proposal by Russia for the Syrian chemical weapons to be put under international control for subsequent annihilation.
In response, US President Barack Obama said plans for a military strike against Syria could be averted if the Syrian “gesture” regarding the Russian proposal is “real.”
Obama said it takes time “to tell whether this offer will succeed.” He, therefore, asked the US Congress to postpone a vote on a Syria-war resolution.
