MOSCOW, November 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russia can stop the bloodshed in Syria and bring peace to the Middle East, Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Thursday.
“The border with Syria has been silent for many years, and we would like it to stay that way,” Peres said after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
“I believe Russia and you have an important role: you can stop the bloodshed in Syria and bring peace and security not only to Syria but also to the Middle East,” he said.
The Syrian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, according to various Syrian opposition groups. The UN puts the death toll at 20,000-30,000 people.
The West is pushing for President Bashar Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed. Veto-wielding Moscow and Beijing have three times blocked sanctions resolutions on Syria.
Peres also said that “those who deny the possibility of a disaster in Iran may indirectly cause it.”
“Neither you nor we hate Iran, but both we and you want to live in a world without fear and tension,” he said.
The West led by the United States and Israel accuse Iran, now under four UN Security Council sanctions resolutions, of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program but Tehran says it needs nuclear power solely for electricity generation.
