Congressional leaders – but not President Obama – expressed outrage Thursday over a New York Times op-ed article by Russia’s Vladimir Putin that denounced American policy on Syria.
“I was insulted,” House Speaker John Bo꧙ehner said of the lengthy attack on the🅺 US hard-line stance on the Bashar al-Assad regime.
“I almost wanted to vomiꦯt,” said Sen. Robert Menende♕z (D-NJ).
Sen. Jo﷽hn McCain called t🌼he essay “an insult to the intelligence of every American.”
Obama ignored reporters’ shouted questions about Putin during a cabiܫnet me𓆉eting early Thursday.
When his spokesman, Jay Carney, was asked about Obama’s reaction at his daily briefing, he said, “We’re not surprised by Preꩲsident Putin’s words. But the fact is that Russia offers a stark contrast that demonstrates why America is exceptional.”
He said there was a “great irony” that Putin could use America’s exceptional tradition of freedom of expression” while “freedom of expression has been on the📖 decrease in Russia for the last ﷽dozen or so years.”
Meanwhile, in an interview with Russian 🌳TV, Assad said he would wait a month after signing an agreement to join the international chemical weapons treaty before actually turning over his poison gas stockpiles.
He also said the US has to stop arming Syrian rebels and drop its threat tꦫo hit Syria with airstrikes before he would go further with the Russian plan to turn over chemical weapons.
“When we see the United States really wants stability in our region and stops threatening, striving to attack, and also ceases arms deliveries to terrorists, then we will believe that the necessary processes can be finalized,” he said.
Secret♐ary of State John Kerry said Assad’s month-long delay was un♏acceptable.
“The words of the regime, in our judgment, is simply not enough,” Kerry said In Geneva before the beginning of two days of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to hammer out the details of the Russian plan.
UN officials said they h🍸ad received Syrian documents Thursday that prepare the country to join the international chemical ♏weapons treaty.
Western diplomats said the UN inspectors report on the Aug. 21 sarin massacre in Syria would be turned♋ over Monday and would prov🙈ide ample evidence that Assad was responsible.
In his op-ed, Putin said “there is every reason to believe♎” the attack was carried out by the rebels and not Assad.
Carney said Russia is the only country in the world that believes that. “Even Iran, which is fighting on Assad’s behalf in Syria, has publicly blamed the Assad regime,” he said.