Washington's stance on al-Assad's fate could be clarified during state secretary's Moscow visit - source
MOSCOW. March 31 (Interfax) - Moscow does not see statements made by United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, regarding the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as a radical charge in Washington's approach to the Syrian settlement process, a source close to Russian diplomatic circles told Interfax on Friday.
There might be more clarity on this after the planned Moscow visit by the U.S. secretary of state, he said. "It is possible that the situation will change after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's arrival to Moscow. We shall see," the source said.
"The question [of al-Assad's fate] was not a major issue even under the previous U.S. administration, so trying to rely on the statements that were made and say that something radically new will begin from now on is not something one should do. Personally, I doubt there will be some new agenda here," the source said.
A day earlier, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley stated that the Donald Trump administration's first priority on Syria is not removing President al-Assad from power but finding partners willing to cooperate with Washington to ease the country's humanitarian crisis.
