Russia’s Putin calls for new constitution in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the significance of drafting a new constitution in Syria as a step toward a political resolution of the crisis in the Arab country.
“I believe it’s necessary to move toward constitutional reform. It’s a complicated process, of course," Putin said in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.
"And after that, on the basis of the new constitution, (Syria should) hold early presidential and parliamentary elections,” he said in the interview, parts of which were released by the Kremlin on Tuesday.
He also said Russia coordinates its actions in Syria with both the Syrian government forces and opposition forces fighting Daesh Takfiris.
"We are coordinating our joint actions with them and support their offensive operations on different parts of the front with strikes by our air force,” he said.
Russia launched the aerial campaign against the Takfiri Daesh terrorists in Syria on September 30, 2015 upon a request by the Damascus government.
Putin also referred to the recent diplomatic row between Iran and Saudi Arabia and said it would complicate efforts to reach a solution to the Syrian crisis.
The row began after Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and Riyadh's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran after Tehran condemnation.
The Saudi move has raised concerns that UN-brokered efforts to solve the Syrian crisis, which involve both Saudi Arabia and Iran, may be adversely affected.
In the Bild interview, Putin also expressed willingness to mediate on resolving the current spat between Tehran and Riyadh.
Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since 2011, which has claimed the lives of more than 250,000 people, and displaced millions.
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