“They pledged to continue and intensify support to the moderate Syrian opposition while the political track is being pursued”.
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Assad is ready to hold parliamentary elections “on the basis of all political forces that want Syria’s prosperity”, Yushchenko told TASS.
About 30 percent of the more than 240,000 people who have been killed in the Syrian conflict have died since the vote, while the United Nations registered another 1.3 million refugees who fled the country.
Jubeir reiterated his country’s long-held stance that Bashar al-Assad should play no role in a future Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several top European and Arab diplomats will be attending, a familiar cast that up to now hasn’t included any Iranian representatives.
Adding to the chaos, a US-led coalition and a Russian task force are conducting parallel but uncoordinated air strikes against Islamist rebels. Putin was quick to brief the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Jordan about Assad’s visit.
The Syrian state describes all the groups fighting it as terrorists. Akbik, the opposition politician, confirmed he had learned of such communications. The way how Assad brought the Russians was like the same way and the same manner that the Afghani government invited the Soviets in the 1970s. Saleh said he rejected the offer.
A few in Washington see the new ties as a threat to US interests, especially because the USA has worked since the 1970s to keep Russian influence out of the Middle East. But the Obama administration sees an opportunity.
A former Free Syrian Army soldier who is now in Turkey and acts as a contact between rebel factions and Russia said a Russian emissary had already reached out to him to arrange meetings with rebel commanders. “This is the Kingdom’s position and that of most other countries”.
Russian Federation has backed Assad politically and militarily, while the United States believes Assad should not be part of any long-term political resolution to Syria’s conflict.
Rebels have appealed for more military support from foreign backers, including Saudi Arabia, to confront major Syrian army offensives. The second airstrike hit a nearby town, killing 13 civilians and a local FSA commander near a bakery.
That could be why rebels there are less ready to turn down Moscow outright. The US and Russian Federation both began air campaigns in the country.
“The US has to include Iran in the talks”.
The Syrian parliament’s four-year term is due to expire in May 2016 while Assad’s current seven-year presidential term runs until 2021. US Secretary of State John Kerry later said he hoped to convene a “broader” meeting as soon as October 30.
Putin has rescued the Syrian army from nearly certain defeat and President Assad’s government from possible collapse.
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Syria Deeply, an independent digital media project covering the Syrian Civil War, has a summary of key events over the last days, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s reported readiness to hold elections. “We are just trying to explore ideas”, Kerry said after talks with Lavrov in Vienna, emphasizing that all participants would be equals.
