Lavrov: Assad Won’t Leave, It’s for Syrians to Decide Who Should Lead Syria
Story Code : 245415
"It is not for us to decide who should lead Syria. It is for the Syrians to decide," Lavrov said in a BBC interview.
Asked if there was any chance of Russia urging Assad step down, Lavrov said: "Absolutely not.
"You know that we are not in the regime-change game. We are against interference in domestic conflicts. This is our position, which should be of no surprise to anyone."
Lavrov said the departure of Assad should not be a pre-condition for negotiations to end the Syrian crisis because it was highly unlikely to happen.
"He is not going to leave, we know this for sure -- all those who get in touch with him know that he is not bluffing," the Russian to diplomat said.
"We have been against any pre-conditions to stop the violence and start the dialogue because we believe priority number one is to save lives," Lavrov added.