Syria: Assad opens up to resignation discussions
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Syria’s deputy prime minister has said the government is prepared to discuss the exit of Bashar al-Assad, but that the president’s resignation cannot be a pre-condition for talks.
Speaking on a visit to Moscow, Qadri Jamil also said the West “is looking for a pretext to intervene militarily”.
Echoing Russia’s foreign minister, he said there must be no intervention.
The comments follow President Obama’s warning that the US may intervene if Syria uses chemical weapons.
On Monday, Barack Obama said the deployment of chemical weapons represented a “red line” for the US.
Following talks with China’s top diplomat and a Syrian delegation including Mr Jamil, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said only the UN Security Council could authorise the use of force against Syria and warned against imposing “democracy by bombs”.
At a press conference, Mr Jamil warned that “any direct military intervention in Syria is impossible”.
“Those who contemplate it are rushing into a much wider confrontation, one that goes beyond the Syrian borders,” he said.
Although the Syrian regime has said in the past that it is open to unconditional negotiations, Mr Jamil went further by explicitly saying everything could be discussed, including the resignation of President Assad.
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Tagged Mr Jamil, President Assad, Syria, US
