Lavrov does not agree with Kerry al-Assad is cause of conflict in Syria
VIENNA. Nov 14 (Interfax) - Moscow did not agree with Washington's stance that the terrorism problem in Syria will be settled, if President Bashar al-Assad resigns, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"I cannot agree with the logics that al-Assad is the cause of all," Lavrov said at a press conference in Vienna on Saturday, following the international meeting on Syria.
"Frankly speaking, it is very alarming for me to hear a statement which John [U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry] has made. If I put it correctly, it says so: if al-Assad departs, then all the regional countries will unite to defeat ISIL," Lavrov said.
"Speaking of the role of personality in history, we had the case of Saddam Hussein, had the case of Gaddafi. In both cases it was said that if a dictator is ousted, a country will prosper," Lavrov said.
"The terrorist attacks in Paris and the ISIL statement that they have done this demonstrated: it is not important whether you are for al-Assad or against al-Assad, you are an enemy for ISIL," the Russian foreign minister said.
"So, the point is not in al-Assad," he said.
