Russia:Russia: No Talk with US on Al-Assad’s Fate

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Russia denied reports that it has reached an agreement with the US over the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as part of efforts to end the crisis in the Arab country.

Citing a UN Security Council diplomat, the Saudi al-Hayat daily reported on Thursday that US Secretary of State John Kerry had informed several Arab countries of the alleged Moscow-Washington understanding that includes "Assad's transfer to another country."

The report added, however, that "the timing and context of that in the political process remains unclear to everyone at the moment."

But Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the report as false during a press conference later in the day.

"Al-Hayat published information which does not correspond to reality," Peskov told journalists.

He further stated: "Russia is advantageously different from other nations because it does not discuss the issue of the self-determination of third countries either through diplomatic or other channels."

Meanwhile, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad expressed readiness to hold snap presidential elections if Syrians so choose, although it is not included in the current political process.

"This depends on the Syrian people's stance, on whether there is a popular will to hold early presidential elections. If there is such a will, this is not a problem for me. It is natural to respond to the will of the people and not to that of certain opposition forces. This issue concerns every Syrian citizen because every citizen votes for the president," he said on Thursday, adding that such a move needs "the Syrian public opinion and not the opinion of the government or the president."

Al-Assad had earlier rejected certain efforts aimed at presenting a federal model for the future political system of the country, saying that Syria is too "small" for adopting such a model.

On Wednesday, the Syrian leader stressed that both the government and opposition should be included in a Syrian unity government, while rejecting the "transitional body with full executive powers" that the opposition pushes for in a move that entails al-Assad's departure. He stipulated that "political transition" should materialize in the form of transition from one constitution to another, adding, "Thus, the transition period must be under the current constitution, and we will move on to the new constitution after the Syrian people vote for it."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team