Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, October 20, 2015. Putin asked Assad to step down as president shortly before the new year.
ALEXEI DRUZHININ/RIA NOVOSTI/KREMLIN/REUTERS
Financial Times: Vladimir Putin asked Bashar al-Assad to go
Just weeks before his death on January 3, Colonel-General Igor Sergun, director of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was sent to Damascus on a delicate mission.
The general, who is believed to have cut his teeth as a Soviet operative in Syria, bore a message from Vladimir Putin for President Bashar al-Assad: the Kremlin, the Syrian dictator’s most powerful international protector, believed it was time for him to step aside.
Mr Assad angrily refused.
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WNU Editor: Russia is denying these reports .... Kremlin refutes media reports that Moscow offered Assad to resign (TASS).
More News On Reports That Russian President Putin Asked Syrian President Assad To Step Down
Putin Requested Assad Step Aside, But Syrian Leader Refused -- Moscow Times
Kremlin denies reports Putin envoy asked Syria's Assad to step down -- i24 News
Report: Putin Asked Bashar al-Assad to Resign -- Time
Putin Asked Assad to Step Down as Syrian President -- Newsweek
Kremlin Denies Reports of Putin Asking Syria's Assad to Step Down -- Sputnik
Putin denies sending official to Syria to ask Assad to step down -- The Guardian
Kremlin Denies Putin Asked Assad To Step Down -- RFE
3 comments:
Huuhuuhuhh...
This false propanganda is so banal.
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/01/warmed-over-propaganda-putin-asks-assad-to-leave.html#comments
Putin is smart and cunning and every move he makes is very thoroughly calculated to further his own goals and agenda. It’s no secret that Putin himself is pursuing an aggressive revisionist policy designed to undermine the post WW2 and post–Cold War orders…
His possible disengagement from Syria can be associated with the following three scenarios: A. Putin miscalculated and saw the raise of Iran and all the victories going to Iran in the region, who is merely borrowing the Russian Air force. Therefore, once Putin realized there were no bigger prizes for him other than the airbase in Latakia, he decided to pull out and let Iran pursue the remainder of strategic war goals. Also, what Putin achieved at a minimum strengthened Assad regime, so he has a bigger negotiating power during the peace talks.
B. Domestic economic pressures – bombing runs and maintaining effective military power needs serious financial resources. Once Putin had achieved his minimum - strengthened Assad regime, he claimed the credit at home and made another strategic move to pull the bigger force, while maintaining the minimum presence.
C. This might be just another trick & maneuver in Putin’s handbook and this might not mean any sort of withdrawal on the short-term or long-term, since the Russian air force is still continuing bombing the rebels in Syria after the withdrawal announcement. What did Putin want to accomplish? Time will show us…
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