MOSCOW // Russia isn’t committed to keeping Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in power, the leader of the main Syrian opposition group said on Friday after talks in Moscow.
Speaking a day after talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Syrian National Coalition president Khaled Khoja said that “the Russian leadership isn’t clinging to Bashar Assad” and is focusing on the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Mr Khoja’s statement signalled a shift in Russia’s stance, or merely reflected Moscow’s attempt to rally Syrian opposition support for its new push to help mediate the conflict.
Mr Lavrov’s meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart earlier this week highlighted continuing sharp differences about the Syrian ruler’s fate. While Russia called for including Syrian government troops in a coalition fighting ISIL extremists, Saudi Arabian foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir rejected any role for Mr Al Assad.
Moscow has been a key backer of Mr Al Assad throughout the conflict that has dragged on for more than four years, leaving at least 250,000 dead and turning more than 4 million into refugees.
Mr Khoja reaffirmed on Friday that Mr Al Assad and his top lieutenants couldn’t be part of a transitional government. He said he and the Russians didn’t discuss any candidates for the future interim authority, adding that his group and Moscow will continue consultations.
Mr Khoja said Russia’s main focus was the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and avoid the collapse of the country’s state structures, adding that he offered assurances that the National Coalition also stands for preserving state institutions.
Russian president Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s new mediation effort at a meeting in June with Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier this month, Mr Lavrov conferred about Syria with US secretary of state John Kerry and the Saudi Arabian foreign minister in Qatar.
* Associated Press
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