Assad adviser says Russian forces can return to Syria
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BEIRUTMar 17, 2016 - 12:00 am GMT+3
by
Mar 17, 2016 12:00 am
A top adviser to Syria's Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday Russian forces could return to Syria after withdrawing.
"If the Russian friends withdraw part of their forces, this does not mean they cannot return," Bouthaina Shaaban said on Lebanon-based al-Mayadeen TV.
In a surprise announcement on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said most Russian forces would be withdrawn from Syria. Russia began to help Damascus in September, dramatically altering the battlefield in a conflict now entering its sixth year.
Russia said last month Assad was out of step with its diplomacy, prompting speculation Putin is pushing him to be more flexible in peace talks in Geneva, where his government has ruled out discussion of the presidency or a negotiated transfer of power.
But Shaaban denied Putin was pressuring Damascus, stressing the independence and military capability of Syrian forces.
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Research Associate at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
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