Putin agrees with US idea of possibility to include opposition in Syrian government

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he agreed with the US proposal on the possibility of incorporating the Syrian opposition into the government of Bashar Assad but urged a careful approach to this issue.

"I believe the US proposal is absolutely acceptable - it is necessary to think about the possibility of incorporating representatives of the opposition into the existing structures of the [Syrian] authorities, for example, into the government," Putin said, replying to questions at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2016).

However, in this case, it is necessary to think about the powers such a government will have, the Russian leader added.

"It is also necessary not to go over the top in this case and it is necessary to proceed from present-day realities and avoid seeking the declaration of unfulfillable, unachievable goals," Putin said.

The Russian leader called as unrealistic the attempts to this effect to remove President Assad from power.

"It is necessary to act accurately, step by step, gradually achieving the trust of all conflicting parties. If this happens, and I believe that this will happen all the same, the sooner, the better, and then it will be possible to move farther and talk about subsequent elections and full settlement," the Russian leader said.

Syria’s problems are today linked not only with terrorism but also with contradictions inside Syrian society itself "and President Assad understands this well," Putin said.

"This is not a matter of expanding control of particular territories, although this is very important. But this is a matter of ensuring the trust of the whole society, various parts of this society towards each other and use this basis for forming modern and effective governance, which will be trusted by the entire population of the country," the Russian leader said.....More: http://tass.ru/en/politics/883091
17/6/16