Russia’s Foreign Ministry says no change in view on Syria’s Assad – agencies

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”.

She added: “Only the Syrian people can decide the president’s fate”. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, acknowledged that Russian Federation “may not care if Assad stays in power, as we do”.

With Russia’s bombing of Islamic State targets in Syria entering its second month and Iran’s rapprochement with the West after a landmark nuclear deal between the two sides in July, both Moscow and Teheran are poised to play a bigger role in the Syria crisis.

Mekdad also praised the communique adopted at the Vienna talks on Syria as an important document for the Syria’s future.

Royce suggested Russia’s stepped-up air campaign could have hobbled the pace and intensity of the U.S.-led strikes, which began a year ago. The increasing military involvement of the U.S.in Syria has naturally drawn concerns that it will increase the likelihood of a confrontation between the two big powers in the region.

The hearing follows the White House’s announcement last week that it was deploying as many as 50 special operations forces to Syria and Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent meetings in Vienna to chart a political transition to the conflict, which has killed 225,000 Syrians and caused more than 4 million to become refugees.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told TASS news that Moscow is planning to host a round of talks between Syrian officials and rebel opposition leaders next week.

Moscow now states it has arrange “working coordination groups” with “opposition representatives” aimed toward bolstering the fight against IS.

Senior American and Arab diplomats said the United States wants a road map for Assad to leave office.

President Obama “still hasn’t put forward the broad, overarching strategy needed to defeat” the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq, the Foreign Affairs committee’s chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, said at the start of Wednesday’s hearing.

The list included mostly former and current members of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SNC), Syria’s Western-backed political opposition block, Kommersant newspaper reported on Tuesday.

About the effectiveness of the Russian Air Force strikes in Syria, Zakharva said that a few terrorist groups were expelled from main areas in Syria which helped in the return of thousands of civilians to their homes, noting that this was confirmed by United Nations sources.

It was also a rare heavy Russian bombardment targeting Islamic State rather than other insurgent groups.

The road links the northern province and city of Aleppo with central provinces and is the government’s supply route to the city.