Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed on Friday that the Syrians are the only side to determine the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed on Friday that the Syrians are the only side to determine the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"With all due respect to the international community, it is, of course, the Syrian people who must decide" Assad's fate, Lavrov told reporters when asked about his meeting Thursday with Syria's deputy foreign minister, Fayssal al-Mikdad.
The top diplomat made clear on Friday that Moscow's position on the Syrian crisis had not changed.

"The international community must not incite either side toward violence or pose preliminary conditions," Lavrov urged.
Meanwhile, he said Russia was pressing the Syrian leadership to talk to the opposition.

“We actively encouraged... the Syrian leadership to maximally put into action its declared readiness for dialogue with the opposition”.

Lavrov said Moscow also encouraged Assad's government "to underscore that they are open to discussing the widest range of items in line with the agreements reached in Geneva on June 30."

He said after his meeting with Mikdad that "the chances for such a solution... are diminishing."
Moscow on Saturday will host Brahimi in a new bid to save efforts at ending the ongoing turmoil.