Washington (AFP) - President Barack Obama defended his administration's decision not to use military force in Syria, saying that the United States has its limits.

The US leader's comments came in an interview taped ahead of his visit to Saudi Arabia, which was angered by his 11th-hour decision last year to pull back from strikes against the Syrian regime over its use of chemical weapons in the country's civil war.

"It is, I think, a false notion that somehow we were in a position to, through a few selective strikes, prevent the kind of hardship we've seen in Syria," Obama told broadcaster CBS in Rome.

"It's not that it's not worth it," he added. "It's that after a decade of war, the United States has limits."

Obama went on to suggest that the US military would not have been able to have much impact without committing itself long-term.

"Our troops who have been on these rotations and their families and the costs, and the capacity to actually shape in a sustained way an outcome that was viable without us having a further commitment of perhaps another decade, those are things that the United States would have a hard time executing," he said.

Obama calls for Russian troop de-escalation near U …Play video

"And it's not clear whether the outcome, in fact, would have turned out significantly better."

Now in its fourth year, the bloody civil war has claimed more than 140,000 lives and displaced many others, causing a refugee crisis in the region.

"To look at a country like Syria and see how it's been torn apart, to see the humanitarian crisis that's taking place, surely, that is not consistent with any reasonable interpretation of what Islam is all about, to see children starving or murdered, to see families having to abandon their homes," Obama said.

In Saudi Arabia later Friday, Obama sought to allay Riyadh's criticism of his Syria policy.

Saudi Arabia is a major backer of the Syrian rebellion, and has been pushing for a stronger international stance against President Bashar al-Assad.

Obama told King Abdullah that "he believes that our strategic interests remain very much aligned" with those of the kingdom, a senior US administration official told reporters.

Obama defends decision on Syria

President Obama says that after a decade of war, the United States has its limits on military action.
'It's not that it's not worth it'

By Louis Charbonneau

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia threatened several Eastern European and Central Asian states with retaliation if they voted in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution this week declaring invalid Crimea's referendum on seceding from Ukraine, U.N. diplomats said.

The disclosures about Russian threats came after Moscow accused Western countries of using "shameless pressure, up to the point of political blackmail and economic threats," in an attempt to coerce the United Nations' 193 member states to join it in supporting the non-binding resolution on the Ukraine crisis. [ID:nL5N0MP1AH]

According to interviews with U.N. diplomats, most of whom preferred to speak on condition of anonymity for fear of angering Moscow, the targets of Russian threats included Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as a number of African countries.

A spokesman for Russia's Mission to the U.N. denied that Moscow threatened any country with retaliation if it supported the resolution, saying: "We never threaten anyone. We just explain the situation."

According to the diplomats, the Russian threats were not specific. But they said it was clear to the recipients of the warnings not to support the resolution that retaliatory measures could include steps such as expelling migrant workers from Russia, halting natural gas supplies or banning certain imports to Russia to cause economic harm.

In the end, the Ukrainian resolution declaring Crimea's vote on March 16 in favor of seceding from Ukraine as having "no validity" passed with 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions. Another 24 U.N. member states did not cast votes. [ID:nL1N0MO167]

Is Russia Preparing to Invade Ukraine?Play video

Western diplomats called the result a diplomatic success for Ukraine. A similar General Assembly vote was held in 2008 after Russia went to war with Georgia over its breakaway enclave South Ossetia, which later declared independence and has unsuccessfully sought annexation to Russia. That resolution was adopted with a mere 14 votes in favor, 11 against and 105 abstentions.

Although the General Assembly resolution is non-binding - unlike Security Council resolutions - Russia and the Western powers went to great efforts to persuade delegations to vote with them. Earlier this month, Russia vetoed a resolution in the Security Council that was similar to the General Assembly text.

The United States and European delegations said the result of Thursday's vote highlighted Russia's isolation on the issue of Crimea.

Ukraine's former President Viktor Yanukovich, backed by Russia, was ousted last month after a crackdown on demonstrations in Kiev that left dozens dead. His ousting prompted Moscow to seize the peninsula on the Black Sea in a move that predominantly Russian-speaking Crimeans embraced in their plebiscite that overwhelmingly favored annexation to Russia.

DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

The delegations of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan did not respond to a request from Reuters for comment about the alleged Russian threats of retaliation. Both countries were among the 24 countries that did not cast votes on Wednesday.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with members of the Federation Council at the Novo …

But the Ambassador of Moldova to the U.N., Vladimir Lupan, agreed to speak about the issue. Asked if the Russians had given any indication, direct or indirect, that the former Soviet republic could be punished for a yes vote, Lupan said: "I wasn't present at this particular discussion and I can neither infer nor confirm this to you."

"And normally before you vote, you discuss this with a number of countries," he told Reuters. "This matter was indeed discussed between the Moldovan authorities and the Russian authorities. We also discussed this with our (European Union) partners."

"Of course, we had two different points of view - one from the Russian Federation in favor of a no vote and, for example, the European Union in favor of a positive vote," Lupan said, adding that his country was attempting to resolve all outstanding issues with Russia peacefully and through dialogue.

Several diplomats told Reuters that Moldova was among the countries subjected to pressure from Moscow ahead of the vote. In the end, the Moldovan delegation defied Russia and joined Ukraine, the United States, the EU and other Western powers in voting yes.

Lupan also said the West had not threatened Moldova.

Moldova is in a precarious situation as its pro-Europe leader warned in an interview with Reuters of "a series of provocations" from breakaway Russian-speaking Transdniestria, which has been identified by NATO as a possible next target for Russia after it sent troops into Ukraine. [ID:nL5N0MN5AP]

Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca told Reuters that Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula "might raise expectations" in Moldova's rebel region, a sliver of land that broke away with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Some African diplomats also did not respond to queries, but Rwanda's deputy U.N. ambassador, Olivier Nduhungirehe, vehemently denied that Kigali was threatened. "I don't know where this came from," he told Reuters.

Ivory Coast's Ambassador Youssoufou Bamba also denied being pressured by Moscow.

Like many African states, Rwanda abstained from the vote, while Ivory Coast did not participate.

Russia is not the only country accused of strong-arm tactics at the United Nations. Ahead of important decisions on the 15-member U.N. Security Council, diplomats say the big powers have been known to attempt to "buy" votes from the 10 non-permanent members with a combination of carrots and sticks.

The United States, diplomats say, has in the past punished countries that refused to stand with it on the Security Council for crucial votes. After Yemen voted against a council resolution authorizing the use of force against Iraq in 1991 to expel it from Kuwait, Washington cut off millions of dollars in aid to Sanaa.

French Ambassador Gerard Araud was asked about Russia's allegation that Western powers had blackmailed U.N. member states to secure a strong vote in favor of the Crimea text.

"When you lose, you have to be a good a loser," he told reporters outside the Security Council. "I think Russia is a bad loser. They lost and they did by 100 votes."

Diplomats: Russia issued threats before UN vote

Moscow warned some states not to back a U.N. resolution declaring Crimea's referendum invalid, envoys say.
Possible target

Moscow (AFP) - Russia on Saturday pledged it would not invade mainland Ukraine following its seizure of Crimea, favouring a federal solution for the ex-Soviet state as diplomacy with the West gathered momentum.

Tensions have run high since Moscow's lightning takeover of Crimea from Ukraine, with the United States accusing Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine's eastern border.

But signs of progress have appeared in efforts to temper the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov pencilled in an impromptu meeting in Paris on Sunday in a further bid to resolve the stand-off following telephone talks between the Russian and American presidents.

breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestr Lavrov suggested Moscow's main demands in the talks were that Ukraine should become a federation, commit to not joining NATO and restore order to cities after almost half a year of street protests.

Putin also told Obama that the problems surrounding the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestr –- a Russian-speaking region seen by some as the Kremlin's next target -- should be solved not by force but by talks in the "5+2" format of Moldova, Transdniestr, the OSCE, Russia and Ukraine, with the EU and US as observers.

Obama calls for Russian troop de-escalation near U …Play video

Vitali Klitschko bowing out of the race confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko Ukraine is now at a crossroads after the fall of pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych in February and the clock is ticking down to May 25 presidential elections which are expected to cement Kiev's pro-West course.

With boxing champion turned politician Vitali Klitschko bowing out of the race, the overwhelming favourite to win the polls is pro-European confectionary tycoon Petro Poroshenko, although feisty former premier Yulia Tymoshenko is expected to mount an all-out campaign since declaring her candidacy this week.

-'No intention' to invade-

Lavrov said Moscow has no intention of ordering its armed forces to cross over the Ukrainian border and acknowledged the divisions between Moscow and the West on the crisis were narrowing.

"We have absolutely no intention and no interests in crossing the Ukrainian border," he told Russian state television.

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A motorcyclist in the western Ukraine city of Lviv on March 14, 2014 passes a placard reading " …

"We (Russia and the West) are getting closer in our positions," he added, saying recent contacts had shown the outlines of a "possible joint initiative which could be presented to our Ukrainian colleagues," he added.

Lavrov made clear Russia's priorities for Ukraine were a federalisation which would allow the interests of everyone in Ukraine -- including Russian speakers in the east and south -- to be fully represented.

He said Kiev should also commit to being non-aligned -- with Ukrainian NATO membership clearly a red line for Moscow.

"There should be no ambiguity here. There is too much 'not for the time being' and 'we don't intend' (to join NATO). Intentions change, but facts on the ground remain," he said.

He said that the West was now "listening" to Russia's idea of a federalised Ukraine and a federation (for Ukraine) "is far from being a forbidden word in our talks."

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Supporters of the right wing party Pravyi Sector (Right Sector) protest in front of the Ukrainian pa …

However a clear solution remained elusive.

"There is no single plan," RIA Novosti quoted Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying. "We have differing views of the situation. Our discussions involve an exchange of ideas, but one cannot say that we have some sort of single approach."

- Lavrov-Kerry meeting -

The United States and European Union clearly want Russia to de-escalate tensions by removing the troops said to be surrounding Ukraine's eastern borders.

Kiev this week estimated there were now 100,000 Russian soldiers positioned around Ukraine -- a figure neither confirmed nor denied by Moscow.

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Self-defence forces of Maydan stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament while supporters of t …

Putin and Obama had earlier discussed ways to solve the crisis in Ukraine, both the White House and the Kremlin said in separate statements, although neither side gave precise details on the nature of the plan on the table.

However, in a sign both sides feel there are grounds for discussion, Kerry decided mid-flight on a trip back from Riyadh to head to Paris and meet Lavrov.

Both the state department and Moscow confirmed the meeting would take place.

Russia is also feeling economic pressure, with the United States and European Union having already hit Moscow with sanctions against senior officials and markets worried about measures that could hurt the wider economy.

Moody's put Russia's credit rating on review for a possible downgrade on Friday, saying the current crisis "could significantly dampen investor sentiment for several years to come."

- Paving way for Poroshenko -

Meanwhile, the race to take on the permanent role of Ukraine president became clearer as Klitschko announced he would not stand in the polls, leaving Poroshenko as the clear favourite in what could still be a tight race.

"We have to nominate a single candidate representing the democratic forces," Klitschko told a congress of his UDAR (Punch) party.

"This has to be a candidate who enjoys the strongest public support. Today, this candidate in my opinion is Petro Poroshenko."

This could give a clear run to Poroshenko, the only prominent Ukrainian businessman to back the protests against Yanukovych.

Tymoshenko, who was jailed under Yanukovych, has a lot of ground to make up to catch Poroshenko who leads in opinion polls but analysts see her as a wily campaigner who can make up ground.

Russia vows no Ukraine invasion as leaders confer

Moscow says it wants Ukraine to become a federation and must commit to not joining NATO. 'Getting closer in our positions'

Assad preparing to run for president despite war

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad is quietly preparing the ground to hold elections by early this summer to win another 7-year term, even as the Syrian conflict rampages into its fourth year with large parts of the country either in ruins or under opposition control and nearly a third of the population scattered by civil war.

Amid the destruction, which has left more than 140,000 dead, presidential elections may seem impossible. But Syrian officials insist they will be held on time.

The election is central to the Syrian government's depiction of the conflict on the international stage. At failed peace negotiations earlier this year in Geneva, Syrian officials categorically ruled out that Assad would step down in the face of the rebel uprising aimed at ousting him. Instead, they present the elections due at the end of Assad's term as the solution to the crisis: If the people choose Assad in the election, the fight should end; if Assad loses, then he will leave.

Observers say it would be preposterous to think a vote could reflect a real choice, and that Assad is certain to win. It would be impossible to hold polls in areas controlled by rebels. In areas under government control, many would not dare vote for anyone but Assad for fear of secret police who have kept a close eye on past elections.

"There is a gap between what goes on the mind of the Syrian president and reality. He has a fixation on the presidency and he doesn't see beyond it," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.

"He can hold elections, and if the international community were to take these elections seriously then there is something really wrong in the international community," he said.

In government-held areas, pro-Assad demonstrators have recently begun holding rallies in support of the armed forces, carrying Assad posters, Syrian flags and banners lauding "victories against terrorists," the term that the government uses to refer to rebels.

Assad and his British-born wife, Asma, have emerged from months of seclusion, visiting with school students, mothers and displaced people students in a campaign aimed at infusing confidence and optimism into the war-wrecked nation.

As the fighting on the ground shifts, there is no telling how the battlefield will look by the summer. But for now, Assad has overall good reason to feel self-assured.

Backed by Shiite fighters from the Lebanese group Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, Syrian troops have seized areas around Damascus and the central province of Homs that links the capital with Assad's stronghold on the Mediterranean coast. Earlier this month, government forces recaptured two key rebel-held towns near the border with Lebanon. Troops also regained areas outside the city of Aleppo and secured its international airport, where flights resumed after a 15-month halt.

Underscoring the see-sawing conflict, rebels last week launched a major offensive in Assad's ancestral homeland in the coastal province of Latakia, capturing the last border crossing point with Turkey that was still under government control and several towns. A second cousin of Assad, Hilal Assad, was killed in the fighting. But it is still unclear how much it represents a shift.

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A boy cries as he stands amid rubble of collapsed buildings at a site hit by what activists said was …

"This has been a great year for Assad," said Fawaz A. Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics.

"His army has become an effective killing machine that has made major tactical gains all over Syria, controlling Syria's cities and border area with Lebanon that is essential to his survival," Gerges said.

No date has been set yet for the vote, which must be held between 60 and 90 days before Assad's 7-year term ends on July 17. This month, the Syrian parliament approved an electoral law opening the door — at least in theory — to potential contenders besides Assad.

It states that any candidate must have lived in Syria for the past 10 years and cannot have any other citizenship, apparently to prevent opposition figures in exile from running.

So far, no one has come forward to run against Assad.

Syria's ambassador to the U.N. Bashar Ja'afari said in mid-March that a presidential election will be held in May or June, and called it "an internal affair." Presidential adviser Bouthaina Shaaban said presidential elections would be held on time according to the constitution. She said Syria would not accept international monitors for the vote.

Preparations are underway. Authorities in government held areas have started issuing election cards and taking applications from people who lost or don't have identity cards.

Assad's wife, Asma, has reappeared in several carefully scripted public appearances recently.

In January, state TV and Syria's official SANA news agency splashed images of the first lady's visit to a Damascus school, where she greeted children who had lost their fathers fighting on the government side. Dressed in a gray jacket, her hair casually pulled up, she looked at children's drawings surrounded by smiling students in blue school uniforms.

More recently, Asma and her husband sat with a group of a dozen teachers in Damascus. On March 21 — Mothers' Day in the Arab world — state TV showed Asma meeting mothers of missing soldiers.

"Your sons are our sons," she told them softly. "They are the sons of Syria. Syria will not rest until all of its children are found."

The new constitution approved in a referendum in February 2012 allows for a multiparty system in Syria, which has been ruled by Assad's Baath party since a 1963 coup. Hafez Assad took power in another coup in 1970. His son Bashar succeeded Hafez after his death in 2000.

The constitution sets a limit of two 7-year terms for the president — starting the count from the passage of the constitution, meaning Assad could run again in 2021 and remain legally in power through 2028.

Until now, Bashar Assad has been elected by referendums in which he was the only candidate and voters cast yes-or-no ballots. Each time, he won with more than 90 percent of the vote.

"We are seeing preparations for the elections but for us the results are known," said a prominent Syrian opposition activist in the central city of Homs, Mohammed Saleh. "Of course there will be other candidates for decoration only."

The thought of elections in the current situation has enraged the opposition.

"It is impossible.... In order to hold elections there should be free parties, elections campaigns, stability, peace and when people can go vote without pressure," said opposition figure Kamal Labwani, who spent long years in jail in Syria before he left the country.

Ahamad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist in the southern city of Daraa where the uprising began in March 2011, said even areas under government control are too dangerous to hold a vote.

"This is an illegitimate regime that should not hold elections," he said. "Assad for me is history and he has no place in the new Syria."

______

Associated Press writer Barbara Surk contributed to this report.

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Despite war, Assad prepares run for president

The Syrian government will stage an election Bashar Assad is certain to win, even as the battle rages, observers say.
Scripted appearances

Gay couples marry for first time in England

Brighton (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Gay couples across England and Wales said "I do" Saturday as a law authorising same-sex marriage came into effect at midnight, the final stage in a long fight for equality.

Following the first marriages amid a supposed race to wed, Prime Minister David Cameron tweeted: "Congratulations to all same-sex couples getting married today – I wish you every possible happiness for the future."

The Conservative party leader also described the change as an "important moment for our country", and a rainbow flag flew above government offices in London in celebration.

While 15 countries have legalised gay marriage and in another three it is allowed in some regions of the country, homosexuals remain persecuted in many parts of the world.

The Church of England, insisting weddings should take place only between a man and a woman, secured an exemption from the new law.

In London, John Coffey, 52, and Bernardo Marti, 48, exchanged vows as the clock struck midnight, before being pronounced "husband and husband".

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Map showing the legal status of homosexuality around the world (AFP Photo/A.Leung, J.Saeki, js/jj)

They were among several couples bidding to be first to take advantage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act.

In Brighton on England's south coast, Neil Allard and Andrew Wale exchanged vows and rings in the opulent splendour of the Royal Pavilion in front of about 100 guests.

Wearing velvet-collared three-piece suits with white flowers in the buttonholes, the smiling couple of seven years hugged and kissed after sealing their marriage.

"We are very happy this day has come finally. It's very exciting," said Wale, a 49-year-old theatre director.

Campaigners have insisted that only the right to marry gives them full equality with heterosexual couples.

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Gay campaigners drive a bus past the Houses of Parliament as the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill ge …

"These weddings will send a powerful signal to every young person growing up to be lesbian, gay or bisexual -- you can be who you are and love who you love, regardless of your sexual orientation," said Ruth Hunt, acting chief executive for gay rights charity Stonewall.

Civil partnerships in England have been legal since 2005 and marriage brings no new rights -- the ability to adopt, for example, was introduced in 2002.

"We didn't want to get married until it was a marriage that my mum and dad could have," said Teresa Millward, 37, who was marrying her long-term girlfriend on Saturday.

The gay marriage law is the final victory in a long battle stretching back to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England in 1967.

Cameron backed the change despite strong opposition from members of his party and the Church of England, which has rejected the idea that clergy be allowed to bless couples in same-sex marriages.

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The rainbow gay pride flag flies on Whitehall infront of the statue of Horatio Nelson atop Nelson …

But Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the leader of the world's 80 million Anglicans, indicated on Thursday that the Church would no longer campaign against the issue, and would continue to demonstrate "the love of Christ for every human being".

- Resistance elsewhere -

A poll for BBC radio said 20 percent of British adults would turn down an invitation to a same-sex wedding.

However, the survey also found 68 percent agreed gay marriage should be permitted, with 26 percent opposing it.

Peter McGraith and David Cabreza, who have been together for 17 years, also married shortly after midnight in front of friends and their two adopted sons in London.

They hope their wedding will send out a message to places like Nigeria, Uganda and Russia where the idea of gay marriage is a distant dream.

"There's a lot of gay men and lesbians around the world who are not invited to the party," McGraith, a clothing designer, told AFP ahead of the big day.

Same-sex couples who were married abroad are now recognised under the new law, although not everywhere in the United Kingdom.

Scotland, which has devolved powers, is expected to introduce gay marriage later this year, while the British-controlled province of Northern Ireland remains deeply divided on the issue and has no plans to change the law there.


Gay marriages begin in England

British Prime Minister David Cameron tweets, "I wish you every possible happiness for the future.
Victory in long battle