Russia pushes for Syrian elections, willing to aid Free Syrian Army
October 25, 2015, 5:43 am

Lavrov on Saturday had a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry to discuss organizing talks between the Syrian government and opposition, the Russian foreign ministry said [Xinhua]

The statement comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad is willing to talk to some armed opposition groups if they are genuinely committed to dialogue and to combating the terror spread by the Islamic State.

Lavrov said Russia can aid the Free Syrian Army if it knew their locations.

“We are ready to back the patriotic opposition, including the so-called Free Syrian Army, with our air support. However, Washington is refusing to inform us of the locations of the terrorists and where the opposition is based,” Lavrov told state broadcaster Rossiya on Saturday.

“The most important thing for us is to find people who will be true representatives of the armed groups who will confront terrorism among other things,” he added.

Syria needs to prepare for parliamentary and presidential elections, said Lavrov.

Moscow is intensifying efforts to seek a political settlement in the war-torn country.

“We have to make them choose their own process for how their country should live on and protect the interests of every confessional, ethnic or political group. Of course, this work should be done in preparation for elections, both parliamentary and presidential,” said Lavrov.

“Foreign players”, however, cannot decide anything for Syrian people, the Russian Foreign Minister warned.

Lavrov on Saturday phoned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss organizing talks between the Syrian government and opposition, the Russian foreign ministry said.

John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, confirmed the conversation. “They focused on their shared pursuit of options to achieve a political transition and discussed the potential for future multilateral meetings on the topic,” said Kirby.

Earlier this week, Russian President Putin said Moscow is assessing the Syrian situation after Assad’s nod to opening discussions with some rebel groups.

“We are now thinking about this and are trying, if it works out, to reach these agreements,” said Putin.

Russia began air strikes in Syria on September 30 to thwart terrorist forces that include the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Western countries along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey are also engaged in a parallel bombing campaign in Syria but differ with Moscow on the future of Syrian President Assad.

Russia and the US, however, reached an agreement to avoid clashes in the skies in Syria, earlier on Tuesday.

TBP and Agencies