Palestinian Leader Says High Time For Political Solution to Syria Conflict

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said that the door is open for political settlement in Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The time has come for a political solution to the Syrian war, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday.

"We believe that a very important moment has come, when a political solution is close, meaning that the door is open for a political settlement," Abbas said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011. Apart from countering the so-called moderate opposition, Syrian government forces are fighting against militants from extremist groups including Islamic State and the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in the country.

Moscow and Tehran believe Syrian President Bashar Assad should form part of a political solution to the ongoing crisis, while the West has called for him to step down.

Moscow hosted two rounds of intra-Syrian peace talks earlier in 2015 in an attempt to foster dialogue between the government and the opposition, to ultimately pave a way to a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Rounds of Syrian reconciliation talks have also taken place in Switzerland's Geneva and in Kazakhstan’s Astana.