Russian settlement plan for Syria coincides with the US plan in key aspects

A conference of the International Support Group of Syria is held in New York. The foreign ministers of 18 countries, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, representatives of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are going to agree on a draft resolution of the UN Security Council, which is intended to confirm the principles previously adopted in the Vienna Document.

Meanwhile, Russia's position on the issue of the fate of Syrian President Bashar Assad remains unchanged. "We will never agree with the fact that someone from outside, wherever it may be will impose to someone, who and where should lead. It does not fit in any common sense of any international law. Only Syrian people should decide who should govern them and by what standards, what rules, " Vladimir Putin said yesterday on his big-press conference.

He said that Russia supports the initiative of the United States, including the preparation of the UN Security Council resolution on Syria. "I think that after reviewing the project the Syrian authorities that should be arranged. Although someone may not like it. Because in an attempt to resolve a conflict that lasts for many years, and this is a bloody conflict,  a compromise is always possible, but concessions should be made on both sides ...The United States and Europe are highly concerned about what is happening now in the Middle East, in Yemen, in Syria, in Iraq. We will do everything to facilitate the resolution of this crisis and will seek to ensure that the solutions that can be found, arranged all sides, no matter how difficult this situation may look, " Putin says.

According to him, the sequence should be such: joint work on the preparation of the Constitution, there should be a mechanism for monitoring of the possible future election, and the transparency mechanism, which will be trusted by everyone, and on the basis of the democratic procedures Syria itself would have to decide what form of government there is the most appropriate and who should lead the country.

The Kremlin is convinced that the other way to resolve this situation, in addition to political, does not exist. "Anyway, it should be done sooner or later. And sooner is better than later, it will be less victims and costs. There will be less threats, including for Europe, for the same  United States. 14 people were killed in the United States, and ISIS has taken responsibility for this. The US law enforcement authorities have recognized that this is a terrorist attack performed by ISIS. Therefore, this is a threat to everyone. And so the sooner we do that, settle it, the better it will be. "

According to the president, the Russian settlement plan in key aspects coincides with the US, the United States proposed a vision of a joint work on the Constitution, creating the tools for future early elections, the elections themselves and the recognition of its results on the basis of the political process.

As to the Russian military action in Syria, then, according to Putin, Russia will carry out air strikes to support the offensive movement of the Syrian army. "The idea was of Francois Hollande to try to join forces of the Syrian army and at least the part of the armed opposition in the fight against ISIS. Partially, but we are able to do so. We have even found contacts with people who are in a so-called opposition, and, implacable, the Syrian armed opposition, who want to fight with ISIS and practically do it. We support are their efforts to counter the attacks of ISIS with the strikes of the Russian aircraft,  as well as we do it while supporting the Syrian army. And when we see that the process of rapprochement would begin, the political process would begin, the Syrian army, the Syrian leadership would understand that everyone should stop shooting and  start to agree, from this moment we're not going to be more Syrians than the Syrians themselves, "Putin said.