Reuters: Russia, Saudis fail in talks to agree on fate of Syria's Assad
Russia and Saudi Arabia failed in talks on Tuesday to overcome their differences on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a central dispute in Syria's civil war that shows no sign of abating despite renewed diplomacy.
Russia is pushing for a coalition to fight Islamic State insurgents -- who have seized swathes of northern and eastern Syria -- that would involve Assad, a longtime ally of Moscow. But, speaking after talks in Moscow, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir reiterated Riyadh's stance that Assad must go.
"A key reason behind the emergence of Islamic State was the actions of Assad who directed his arms at his nation, not Islamic State," Jubeir told a news conference after talks with Russia's Sergei Lavrov.
Update: Russia, Saudi Agree to Help Syrian Government Renew Talks With Opposition -- WSJ
WNU Editor: I am surprised that these talks took place. Both sides are deeply divided on what to do in Syria .... but there are other issues that both countries do have a lot in common (i.e. oil, weapon purchases, the war against the Islamic State, etc.), and it is these issues that both sides will find common ground. On a side note, I am surprised to see Russia becoming a critical partner for many Sunni Arab states .... particularly with Egypt and now Saudi Arabia. And while it is easy to credit Russian diplomacy for this development .... it is also the failure of U.S. policy .... starting with the U.S. not consulting and working with these states during the Iranian nuclear talks.
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