Putin on al-Assad: Russia will never agree that someone from outside can impose on others who should rule and where
MOSCOW. Dec 17 (Interfax) - Russia's stance with regard to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains unchanged: only the Syrian people can decide who will rule them, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"Our position has not changed. It is a matter of principle. We believe that only the Syrian people should decide who should govern them, by what standards and by what rules," Putin said.
"We will never agree that someone from the outside can impose on others, no matter who they are and where they are, who should rule and where," the Russian president said.
Putin reiterated that Russia would help in every way to resolve the Syrian crisis and would try to "to secure that decisions that can be found would suit all sides, no matter how complicated the situation may appear to be."
"The sequence should be the following: joint work to prepare the Constitution. Such a mechanism of control over the future possible elections, such a transparent mechanism should be created that everyone will trust. And on the basis of these democratic procedures, Syria should make its own choice as to what forms of governance are more acceptable and who should rule the country," the Russian head of state said.