A Mediterranean Battlefield - Syria

[Jan Klimkowski]

PM Cameron gets more than he bargained for as President Putin states in a live press conference:

"The blood is on the hands of both parties. There is always a question as to who is to blame for that. One should hardly back those who kill their enemies and eat their organs," he said, referring to an incident when a rebel fighter was filmed taking a bite out of an organ he had cut out of the body of a dead Syrian soldier.

Invoking organ eating jihadists, when they're the West's democracy-loving freedom fighters, just isn't cricket, old boy...

Putin backs Assad and warns west against arming Syrian rebels

Russian president says backing 'those who kill their enemies and eat their organs' flouts Europe's humanitarian values


Press Association
The Guardian, Sunday 16 June 2013 19.22 BST

David Cameron, left, with Russia's President Vladimir Putin after they held talks in Downing Street on differences over the Syrian crisis. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/PA

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, issued a blunt warning to the west tonight not to arm Syrian rebels who "eat the organs" of their enemies.

Following talks in Downing Street with David Cameron, he said the brutal behaviour of the rebels was inconsistent with the "humanitarian and cultural values" of Europe. While he strongly defended the supply of arms by Moscow to the "legitimate" government of the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, he stressed that he wanted to achieve a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

He believed the G8 summit, starting on Monday in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland, was "one of the most appropriate means" to seek an end to the conflict.

At a joint news conference, Cameron acknowledged there were big differences between them on who was to blame for the conflict but insisted they could be overcome.

Putin, who has made no secret of his opposition to US president Barack Obama's plans to send arms to the rebels, was unsparing when he was asked about previous comments by Cameron that those who armed the regime had "the blood of the children of Syria" on their hands.

"The blood is on the hands of both parties. There is always a question as to who is to blame for that. One should hardly back those who kill their enemies and eat their organs," he said, referring to an incident when a rebel fighter was filmed taking a bite out of an organ he had cut out of the body of a dead Syrian soldier.

"It is hardly in relation to the humanitarian and cultural values Europe has been professing for centuries."

Putin has also reacted sceptically to evidence produced by Britain, France and the US that the regime has used chemical weapons crossing Obama's "red line" for intervention.

Cameron has welcomed Obama's announcement, although he has yet to decide whether to follow the president's lead on supplying arms to the rebels.

However, he said Britain would continue to offer non-lethal support to what he called the genuine opposition, saying it was vital to bolster the democratic elements against the extremists.

"Yes, there are elements of the Syrian opposition that are deeply unsavoury, that are very dangerous, very extremist and I want nothing to do with them. I'd like them driven out of Syria they're linked to al-Qaida," he said in an interview with Sky News's Murnaghan programme.

"But there are elements of the Syrian opposition who want to see a free democratic, pluralistic Syria that respects the rights of minorities including Christians, and we should be working with them we are working with them.

"If we don't work with those elements of the Syrian opposition, then we can't be surprised if the only elements of the Syrian opposition that are getting, that are actually making any progress in Syria, are the ones that we don't approve of.

"After all, they are trying to defend their communities against appalling attacks, including, let's be clear, chemical weapon attacks. President Assad is now guilty of the most appalling crimes against his people 90,000 people dead and some of them through the use of appalling chemical weapons."

Even if Cameron were to decide that Britain should start supplying arms, he may find his path blocked in the face of strong opposition in parliament across all three main parties.

The prime minister again reaffirmed the commitment wrung out of him by Tory rebels that he would give MPs a vote if he decided Britain should arm the Syrian opposition.

"I think parliament should have a say about these things. I can't really go further than that," he said.

Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasurer, indicated the Liberal Democrats were likely to be wary about arming the rebels.

"Speaking personally and as a Liberal Democrat, the test I would apply is, is any proposed action actually going to make a difference? I don't think the case is proven yet," he told Channel 4 News.

"We are going to debate that in the government over the coming weeks and we will see what conclusion we reach."