| Syria's President Assad has agreed to talks with the opposition and will follow the Arab League's roadmap, increasing the number of observers in the country, even in the most hostile areas in Syria. This follows talks with the Russian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.Russia's Foreign Ministry has announced that President Assad has agreed to send a government delegation to Moscow to meet with representatives of the opposition. Assad stands firm in his resolve to stop violence in his country, wherever it should come from, said Lavrov. The parties reaffirmed their readiness to use the Arab League's initiative to find "a swift way out of the crisis." Main outcomes of the meeting: - Assad is ready for talks with the opposition - Assad agrees to keep to the Arab League's peace plan - Assad calls to continue the League's observing mission - Assad urges to boost the number of monitors - Assad commits to ending the violence - Referendum to be called shortly to vote on the new constitution - Syria to hold soon parliamentary elections - Russia to coordinate talks between Assad and the opposition Damascus is to shortly announce a national referendum to draw up a new constitution. According to President Assad, the text of the new constitution has already been drafted and will soon be published in newspapers and on the web. It is set to deprive the ruling political party of its monopoly. Officials expect the referendum to be set for March. After the referendum, the ... |
