Danger of US military force being used in Syria persists despite peace initiative

Chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs Aleksey Pushkov said the danger of U.S. military force being used in Syria persists despite the peace initiative on chemical disarmament. “The U.S. president did not refuse a war, he is thinking about it, contemplating about it and is weighing everything. Obama did not take a final decision yet,” Pushkov told an Open Floor discussion in the State Duma lower house of Russia's parliament on Tuesday. He recalled that the U.S. leader had spoken many times about "the red line" in the Syrian crisis. “The United States is saying in earnest that if America refuses a war in Syria, U.S. ability to win trust in the country’s actions will diminish. This is a very important aspect of domestic U.S. debate,” Pushkov said. The U.S. sought a change of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria as the country’s main goal and an invasion in Iran in the future, the lawmaker said. “The warmongers have a broader view on the issue as Iran is the top priority for them. A war against Syria is just the first step. We should see the prospect and should consider this situation in this respect,” the deputy warned. He welcomed agreement to reinforce the borders of the member-states of the region's Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). “International terrorism will be seeking where to act. What is happening in Syria creates a focal point of terrorism; terrorism-related activity may spread to CSTO states,” Pushkov noted, adding that Russia had a direct interest in political resolution of the crisis in Syria.