Russian diplomat deplores U.S.' calls for Assad's resignation as "unhelpful"
MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) - Moscow views the U.S. demands that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down as unlawful and harmful, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and special presidential representative for the Middle East and Africa Mikhail Bogdanov says.
"They [the U.S.] keep saying insistently that the Damascus regime is illegitimate and that President Bashar al-Assad must go, but we believe such statements have no legitimate ground and are unhelpful," Bogdanov said in an interview with Interfax.
"If you say in advance that one of the participants in such a dialogue, moreover, the principal and the most capable one, must go, it would be simply impossible to launch a constructive and efficient political process," he said.
"It is not suitable for external forces to solve internal Syrian problems, like who will be in power, how this government will be organized, what the constitution will be like, what democratic procedures will be envisioned, including for the Syrian people to elect a new parliament, government, and the president, and so on. All this should be a subject of inter-Syrian national dialogue," Bogdanov said.
Russia supports UN and Arab League Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura's statement in favor of starting a negotiating process without preconditions, he said.
"It is important for constructive Syrian opposition forces to resume political dialogue with Damascus in the face of the dangerous challenge of international terrorism. Opposition politicians and their activity should not willingly or unwillingly serve as a shield for terrorists," he said.
Russia "has repeatedly sent signals to its partners that it is willing to continue working in the Russia-U.S.-UN format to prepare the resumption of the political process aimed at a peaceful settlement in the SAR," he said.
The full version of Bogdanov's interview will be published later on www.interfax.ru.