Russia: US may delay overthrowing President Assad

(Baonghean.vn) - The issue of overthrowing Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is no longer the US's first priority. This is the opinion of Mr. Aleksey Pushkov, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the State Duma (Lower House) of Russia.

Mr. Pushkov told Ria Novosti news agency on September 15 that "Assad's fate will be decided later. The overthrow of Assad is no longer the top priority of US policy, they admit that there are other more urgent tasks such as the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra."

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attends prayers at a church in the town of Daraya, on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, September 12, 2016. Photo: Reuters.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that in the three days since the Russia-US brokered ceasefire took effect in Syria, only Russia and the Syrian army have complied with the ceasefire regulations, while the opposition, which the US calls "moderate", has continued to shell residential areas.

In addition, the ministry also accused the US of trying to conceal its failure to fulfill its obligations to distinguish between "moderate opposition" and terrorists in Syria.

Staffan de Mistura said the opportunity to deliver aid and consolidate the ceasefire had been missed. Photo: EPA

On the same day, the UN special envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, said that the Syrian government was blocking the transportation of UN aid, which was supposed to move freely under the above-mentioned ceasefire agreement. He called on the Damascus government to allow relief shipments into the country “immediately”.

The French Foreign Minister expressed his wish on the same day to receive the text of the ceasefire agreement agreed between Russia and the US to ensure there is no confusion about who is being targeted on the ground./

Lan Ha

(According to Reuters)