Future of Assad should be decided by people of Syria - Pushkov
MOSCOW. Oct 23 (Interfax) - President Bashar Assad can leave his post, but only as a result of a political process and a choice made by the people of Syria, Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma committee on international affairs, said.
"When our Western colleagues tell us that Assad should be overthrown before dealing with the Islamic State, that means turning everything upside down," Pushkov said during a meeting with a delegation of Japanese parliamentarians in the State Duma on Friday.
He stated to his Japanese colleagues the main elements of the Russian position on Syria, including those associated with the fate of Assad. "If President Assad leaves, the entire power vertical will fall apart and the entire administration of Syria will be destroyed and the army will lose its combat capability," Pushkov said.
He pointed out that only the Syrian army can currently fight ISIL terrorists on the ground, thus supplementing Russia's actions in the air.
"However, we constantly emphasize that we believe a political process is also needed, a negotiation process that will lead to the creation of the foundations for the selection by the people of Syria of the administration that they want to see running Syria," Pushkov said.