Russia and Syria urged the United States on Monday to focus on convening a peace conference to end more than two years of conflict instead of taking military action against Damascus.

Both countries will also push for the return of United Nations inspectors to Syria to continue their probe into the use of chemical weapons.

After talks between the countries' foreign ministers in Moscow, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem suggested a chemical attack that Washington blames on the Syrian government was a pretext to encourage military intervention and asked whether US President Barack Obama was backing terrorists.

"We are in Moscow at a time when the war drums are being beaten, the war drums of the government of the United States," said the Syrian foreign minister, adding that "the diplomatic channels to resolve this issue have not been exhausted".

Moualem said his government was ready to host the UN inspectors to investigate the use of chemical weapons, which Washington has blamed on Syrian government forces. He said Damascus will change its stance in the case of a US strike.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that US strikes on Syria could lead to the spread of terrorism. Russia has said it believes that the Aug 21 attack was carried out by rebels.

Moualem questioned US motives in Syria and accused Obama of backing Islamist extremists.

"We are asking ourselves how Obama can ... support those who in their time blew up the World Trade Center in New York," Moualem said at a news conference with Lavrov after their talks.

AP-Reuters

(China Daily 09/10/2013 page12)