Russia Not Discussing Alternative to Syria Ceasefire Plan: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia is not holding talks on any alternatives to a ceasefire plan for Syria, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on Thursday.
Bogdanov’s remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday held a flurry of phone conversations with leaders including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Syrian crisis and a recent agreement between major world powers for a ceasefire in the war-torn Arab country.
“The King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the agreement and expressed his readiness to work together with Russia to implement them,” a Kremlin statement said.
Putin “discussed the situation in Syria, particularly the initiatives and proposals set out in the joint Russian-US statement on cessation of hostilities in Syria” with the four leaders in separate phone conversations on Wednesday.
Both Saudi Arabia and Israel are opposed to Syria’s Assad while Iran is against Western attempts to overthrow the legitimate Syrian government.
Moscow says that it agreed with Washington that the ‘ceasefire’ would begin at midnight on February 26.
In a televised address on Russian TV on Monday, Putin said the cessation of hostilities would “radically turn around the situation in Syria”.
“During our conversation, we approved joint statements of Russia and the US, as co-chairs of the (17-member International Syria Support Group) ISSG, on the cessation of hostilities in Syria. Adoption of the statement was preceded by intensive work by Russian and American experts,” Putin said.
Putin and Rouhani on Wednesday “noted the importance of continuing their joint efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, including by continuing the resolute fight against ISIL (Daesh), Jabhat al-Nusra and other groups on the UN Security Council’s list of terrorist organizations” the Kremlin said.
Assad also gave his support to the US-Russian statement on Syria.
“Mr. al-Assad assessed the proposals contained in the statement as an important step towards political settlement and confirmed the Syrian government’s readiness to facilitate the ceasefire’s implementation,” said the Kremlin.
Putin on Monday reiterated Moscow’s position – agreed by the ISSG – that Russian bombardment of the Daesh (ISIL) and the Al Nusra Front extremist group will continue.
