Moscow stance on Syria talks unmoved

The outcome of any talks on ending the bloodshed in Syria must not be predetermined, said Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, sticking to Moscow’s opposition to Western and Arab pressure for President Bashar al-Assad to cede power.

“It is not really the international community’s business to try to determine the outcome of national dialogue in advance,” Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Pakistani foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar.

His remarks indicated that Russia, which vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution supporting an Arab League call for Assad to cede powers, has not changed its stance on Syria following his meeting with Assad in Damascus on Tuesday.