Russian and German foreign ministers discuss Syria

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle on Thursday in order to discuss the Syrian crisis, RIA Novosti reports.

The parties agreed that they want to resolve the conflict and restore peace in Syria, but admitted that they have different approaches to the matter.

The Russian minister also dismissed suggestions that Russia was planning to offer political asylum to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and said two prominent opposition leaders were coming to Moscow for talks next week.

"It (the rumour of Russia granting asylum to Assad) is either an attempt to mislead serious people dealing with foreign policy or a lack of understanding of Russia's position," the foreign minister said.

Lavrov said the issue of political asylum for Assad first came up during talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Berlin last month, adding that it was first raised by the German side.

"Our delegation took it as a joke and responded also with a joke: Why don't you, Germans, take Mr Assad if he wants to go somewhere?" Lavrov told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle.