al-monitor | Regarding the Syrian issue, the Russian president responded to Bandar,
saying, “Our stance on Assad will never change. We believe that the
Syrian regime is the best speaker on behalf of the Syrian people, and
not those liver eaters. During the Geneva I Conference, we agreed with
the Americans on a package of understandings, and they agreed that the
Syrian regime will be part of any settlement.
Later on, they decided to
renege on Geneva I. In all meetings of Russian and American experts, we
reiterated our position. In his upcoming meeting with his American
counterpart John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will
stress the importance of making every possible effort to rapidly reach a
political settlement to the Syrian crisis so as to prevent further
bloodshed.”
As soon as Putin finished his speech, Prince Bandar warned that in
light of the course of the talks, things were likely to intensify,
especially in the Syrian arena, although he appreciated the Russians’
understanding of Saudi Arabia’s position on Egypt and their readiness to
support the Egyptian army despite their fears for Egypt's future.
The head of the Saudi intelligence services said that the dispute over
the approach to the Syrian issue leads to the conclusion that “there is
no escape from the military option, because it is the only currently
available choice given that the political settlement ended in stalemate.
We believe that the Geneva II Conference will be very difficult in
light of this raging situation.”
At the end of the meeting, the Russian and Saudi sides agreed to
continue talks, provided that the current meeting remained under wraps.
This was before one of the two sides leaked it via the Russian press.
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