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Conflict in Syria

Syria’s Assad ready to hold early polls, take part in election — Russia’s Communist Party

Yushchenko is staying in Syria as part of a delegation of Russian parliamentarians with a humanitarian mission

Bashar Assad Aleksey Druxhinin/president's pool/TASS

Bashar Assad

© Aleksey Druxhinin/president's pool/TASS

MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Syrian President Bashar Assad is ready to take part in early presidential elections, Russian Communist Party [KPRF] deputy Alexander Yushchenko told TASS over the phone on Sunday.

Yushchenko is staying in Syria as part of a delegation of Russian parliamentarians with a humanitarian mission.

According to Yushchenko, Assad is ready to hold parliamentary elections "on the basis of all political forces that want Syria’s prosperity." The Syrian president is also ready to discuss the Constitutional reform and, if necessary and upon the people’s wish, hold the presidential elections but only "after the victory over terrorism on the territory of Syria and the country’s liberation."

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Russia wants to take into account only interests of Syria, not only Assad — Lavrov

According to the Russian MP, Assad "is absolutely confident of his electoral potential, if the presidential elections are held.

The Syrian president also said "the struggle against terrorism will lay the basis for a new and fair world based on sovereignty and cooperation," according to the Russian MP.

‘We [the Russian delegation] expressed the position that a deep constitutional reform should come from Damascus and not from Washington or Ankara," the Russian MP said.

In turn, Russian MP and member of Russia’s delegation to Syria Sergei Gavrilov told TASS that Assad had said at a meeting with Russian parliamentarians he was ready "for parliamentary elections with the participation of responsible patriotic opposition forces and amendment of the Constitution and, if necessary, for general presidential elections."

The Syrian president’s meeting with the Russian MPs also discussed "the issues of Russia’s support" during the holding of such elections, Gavrilov said.

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Foreign policy Syrian conflict

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