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Medvedev says calls on Assad to quit ‘short-sighted’

“To think that Assad’s departure would mean the removal of all the problems is a very short-sighted position and everyone understands that if this happened the conflict would most likely continue,” the ITAR-TASS news agency quoted Medvedev as telling Russian reporters at a summit in Seoul.

“The Syrian people, and not respected leaders of other states, make the decisions about Syria’s fate,” he added.

Western powers have repeatedly urged Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council with veto powers and a key ally of Syria, to use its influence with Assad’s regime to persuade it to end a deadly crackdown on protesters.

Russia had blocked two resolutions on Syria, but last week backed a Western-drafted statement that called on Assad to work toward a cessation of hostilities and a democratic transition.

Washington has suggested Russia’s position on Syria might have evolved over the past months but the Kremlin counters that its stance on the conflict has never changed.

Analysts however say signs are multiplying that Moscow is beginning to show signs of losing patience with Assad despite Russia’s economic and political interests in the region.