MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Thursday, the London-based pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper claimed US State Secretary John Kerry told several Arab countries that Washington and Moscow had reached a mutual understanding, stipulating that Assad would leave to another country as a necessary precondition for the future peace process.
"In this case, there is a spinning of facts, a desire to wishful thinking. The United States has approved our common decisions [on the future of Syria] at both the International Syria Support Group and the UN Security Council, where it is said that only the Syrian people will decide the fate of Syria in all its aspects," Lavrov said at a press conference.
The minister said that the provisions regarding "Assad's future and those responsible for it" had been put on record in a number of decisions reached last year.
The West and several Middle Eastern countries do not consider Assad to be the legitimate authority of Syria. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it is up to the Syrian people to decide on their government.
