President Putin scheduled to address UN general assembly

MOSCOW , July 28 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has been scheduled to attend the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly, set to begin in September, according to a provisional list of speakers released.

While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin has every intention to appear, his plans were not yet final, reported The Moscow Times.

"I can confirm that such a possibility is being considered, preparations are underway," Peskov was quoted as saying.

Putin last appeared at the General Assembly in 2005, and has addressed it just three times in his years in office. Putin is scheduled to speak on September 28, just one day before Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko is slated to take to the UN lectern.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pope Francis are also expected to address the General Assembly for the first time.

In September 2013, five permanent members of the Security Council reached an agreement to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons, largely through Russia's strong hand at the UN.

Russia had all but dismissed a preliminary report by United Nations weapons inspectors who visited the Damascus suburbs to investigate the facts surrounding an August 21 chemical weapons attack. The U.S., backed by France and the UK, had pushed for a resolution carrying the threat of military action but Russia opposed it.

Syria, under President Bashar-al Assad, handed over evidence allegedly showing rebel forces carried out the attack.

Later on that month, the draft resolution, largely orchestrated by Russia's involvement as Syria is Russia's main client in the Middle East, demanded the country abandon its stockpile of chemical weapons.

"If implemented fully, this resolution will eliminate one of the largest previously undeclared chemical weapons programs in the world," Samantha Power, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. said at the time.