MOSCOW — Russia does not
see keeping Bashar Al-Assad in power as a matter of principle, the
Foreign Ministry in Moscow said on Tuesday in comments that suggested a
divergence of opinion with Iran, the Syrian president’s other main
international backer.
Fueling speculation of Russian-Iranian differences over
Assad, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps suggested on Monday
that Tehran may be more committed to him than Moscow was.
However, one senior regional official cautioned against
reading too much into the public statements on Assad, saying there is no
difference between Russia and Iran over him. They agree on his staying
in office, and that it is up to the Syrian people to elect their
president, the official said.
Russia and Iran agreed on his staying in office, and that it was up to the Syrian people to elect their president.
While Russia and Iran have been Assad’s foremost foreign
supporters during Syria’s four-year-old war, the United States, its Gulf
allies and Turkey have insisted the president must step down as part of
any eventual peace deal. Talks in Vienna on Friday among the main
foreign players involved in diplomatic efforts on Syria failed to reach
agreement on Assad.
Asked by a reporter on Tuesday if saving Assad was a
matter of principle for Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova said: “Absolutely not, we never said that.”
“We are not saying that Assad should leave or stay,” RIA
news agency quoted her as saying. But another regime change in the
Middle East could be a catastrophe that “could simply turn the whole
region into a large black hole,” she added.
Zakharova said Russia had not changed its policy on Assad and that his fate should be decided by the Syrian people.
But her remarks appeared to suggest a difference of
approach compared with Iran, which has sent forces to fight alongside
Assad’s military and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it backs, has
also sent fighters.
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, Major
General Mohammad Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russia “may not care if
Assad stays in power as we do.” The Tasnim news agency quoted him on
Monday as saying: “We don’t know any better person to replace him.”
Nevertheless, the senior regional official, who is
familiar with diplomatic contacts on Syria, poured cold water on any
suggestion of a split. “Forget it. There is no Russian-Iranian
difference over the matter of Assad” the official told Reuters.
NATIONAL DIALOGUE
Syria’s deputy foreign minister rejected the idea of a
transitional period sought by Western states that want Assad removed
from power.
“We are talking about a national dialogue in Syria and an
expanded government and a constitutional process. We are not at all
talking about what is called a transitional period,” Faisal Mekdad said
during a visit to Iran.
He said Assad had been elected president by a large
majority and the Syrian people had confirmed there was no alternative to
him as leader.
Assad’s Syrian and foreign opponents, however, dismissed last year’s election as a sham.
Russia intervened militarily at the end
of September to support Assad by launching bombing raids on rebel groups
trying to overthrow him. Russian and US air forces held a joint
training exercise in Syria on Tuesday aimed at preventing dangerous
encounters between their aircraft, Russia’s defense ministry said.
Syria’s skies are becoming increasingly crowded as Russia and a US-led coalition carry out separate air campaigns.
A US military official said a US fighter jet and a Russian
fighter aircraft had conducted a communications test over south central
Syria to validate safety protocols. The two aircraft came within 5
miles (8 km) of one another in a test that lasted about 3 minutes, the
official said.
The United States has sharply criticised Russia’s air
strikes and has ruled out any military coordination with Moscow. But the
US and Russian militaries did agree last month to the protocols,
including how to communicate with each other during a close encounter in
the air.
In a sign of the sensitivities, the Pentagon said calling Tuesday’s procedure a military “exercise” was incorrect, adding that had been only a “test.”
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS
Moscow meanwhile has shown increasing flexibility in
diplomatic efforts to resolve a conflict that has killed 250,000 and
displaced millions.
Syrian government officials and members of the country’s
splintered opposition could meet in Moscow next week, Interfax news
agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as
saying.
He did not say which opposition members might attend, but
the invitation appeared to suggest a change in tone from Moscow, which
has until now dismissed such groups. — Reuters
Post a Comment