President Obama, Russia's Putin clash at United Nations over Syria

Oren Dorell | USA TODAY

UNITED NATIONS — President Obama for the first time said Monday that he would work with Russia and Iran to find a solution to Syria’s long civil war, but leaders of those two countries followed with peace prescriptions that run counter to the U.S. approach.

Obama said any solution must not include continued support for "a tyrant" like Syrian President Bashar Assad, who he said has killed tens of thousands of his own people in a war that began with a crackdown on peaceful protests.

In sharp contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in separate speeches before the General Assembly, blamed the United States for the war in Syria and said any solution must include Assad and his regime.

“We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to work with the Syrian government and its armed forces,” Putin said. “No one but the Syrian forces and Kurdish militia are seriously fighting against the Islamic State.”

Putin said much of the terrorist threat in Syria is the result of the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The alternative to aiding Assad is to arm the terrorists, he added.

"Instead of the triumph of democracy, we get violence and social disorder," Putin said. "Tens of thousands of militants are fighting under the banner of the so-called Islamic State. Their ranks include former Iraqi servicemen thrown out after the invasion of their country in 2003."

The clash of words came before Obama and Putin met face-to-face later Monday for 95 minutes, their first formal meeting in more than two years. The meeting was scheduled to last only an hour.

Putin told reporters after the meeting that Russia has not ruled out joining U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria but would not send ground troops into combat. He said any Russian action will be in accordance with international law.

The Russian leader said he and Obama discussed the coalition’s action against the Islamic State and called the talks “very constructive, business-like and frank.”

A U.S. official said the two leaders agreed during the meeting about a need for political transition in Syria, but they continued to disagree on Assad's role and whether he should stay in power.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting and insisted on anonymity, said the United States does not view Russia's recent military buildup in Syria as necessarily harmful, but that will depend on whether Russia uses the equipment to fight the Islamic State or to strengthen Assad's battle against his own people.

Earlier at a luncheon, Obama and Putin joined a toast with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Putin smiled slightly as he and Obama clinked glasses. Obama, who did not smile, ended his toast by saying, "and may we never abandon the pursuit of peace."

Obama, during his U.N. address, left out Syria when he said, "The United States is willing to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran."

“When a dictator slaughters tens of thousands of his own people that’s not just a matter of one country’s internal affairs,” Obama said. "There is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like ISIL," he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State militant group that has seized vast expanses of Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Also speaking Monday was French President François Hollande, who agreed with Obama that Assad "is part of the problem. He cannot be part of the solution" to the Syrian conflict.

Iran's Rouhani, in his speech, said action to combat extremism in the Middle East should be modeled on the recent Iran nuclear agreement. He said democratic governance should wait until stability is reached in the region through dialogue and cooperation with established central governments.

"And once that’s established, build democratic governance in the Middle East region," Rouhani said.

He blamed "naïve trans-regional actors" in part for the terrorist "wave of destruction" that has gone beyond the Middle East and the Arab world. "Without the U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and U.S. support for the Zionist (Israeli) regime, the terrorists would not have justification for their actions," Rouhani said.

Obama spoke of lessons learned from U.S. experiences in Iraq and Libya. Both exposed the risk of military intervention without sufficient planning and commitment to find a comprehensive political solution, Obama said. “Military power is necessary, but it is not sufficient to a lasting solution in Syria,” he added. “Diplomacy is needed."

“Compromise will be required to end the conflict and defeat ISIL and al-Qaeda,” but there must be a process to find a new Syrian leader who represents all of the Syrian people, Obama said.

Putin has recently poured weapons into Syria to support Assad in his struggle against the Islamic State and other rebel groups. Obama wants Assad out and has attempted to support other rebels aligned against the Islamic State.

The United States is leading a coalition fighting Islamic State militants with airstrikes, while backing the Iraqi government and Kurdish militias in Iraq and Syria in their fight against the extremist group.

Iran also has been supporting Assad, sending hardware and military advisers. Rouhani has argued that Iran’s approach of empowering Shiite militias against extremist forces has been more successful than U.S. air raids that have pummeled Islamic State targets while the group continues to gain territory.