Saudi FM in Moscow for Syria-focused Talks

The comments were reportedly made during a meeting in Riyadh on 7 July that included Ali Mamlouk, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s intelligence chief.

The talks between the two ministers follow their recent meeting in Doha that also involved US Secretary of State John Kerry.

The National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCSROF) is set to visit Moscow on August 13 to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, member of the NCSROF executive committee Badr Jamous told Sputnik on Monday. The talks are part of a new Moscow attempt to help mediate the Syrian conflict.

The Russia-proposed coalition, Lavrov said, would “bring together all those already fighting on the ground” who oppose Islamic State.

“The exit of President Assad is part of these differences”, Lavrov said.

“Mr. Lavrov and I have discussed the need for uniting disconnected Syrian opposition ranks on a peaceful platform so that they accept the concept of the Syria crisis resolution on the basis of the Geneva Communique”, the Saudi minister said. “There is also a lot of speculation which tries to show Assad’s cooperation with Daesh as a reality, which is far from the truth”.

“Bashar Assad isn’t threatening any neighboring country, while the Islamic State has… compiled maps ranging from Spain to Pakistan”, he said.

“Our position has not changed… there is no place for Assad in the future of Syria“, Jubeir said.

“We simply suggest cleaning up our methods from double standards, from attempts to approach any situation in a volatile way and divide terrorists into bad and good categories,” Lavrov said, pointing out that “it won’t work out”. The two countries have both backed the Syrian regime in the ongoing civil war; Moscow is also preparing to deliver S-300 missile defense systems to Tehran despite a chorus of global criticism.