FILE PHOTO: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma, plant trees in city of Draykish
Russia transported Assad in 'most secured way,' Russian Deputy FM tells NBC News
Reuters: Russia transported Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted as Syria's president by a lightning rebel offensive, very securely to Russia, the country's deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, told NBC News in an interview aired on Tuesday.
The Kremlin said on Monday that President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to grant asylum in Russia to Assad. His fall is a big blow to Iran and Russia, which had intervened in Syria's 13-year civil war to try to shore up his rule despite Western demands that he leave power.
"He is secured, and it shows that Russia acts as required in such an extraordinary situation," Ryabkov told NBC, according to a transcript on NBC's website. He added that he would not elaborate "on what happened and how it was resolved."
Asked whether Russia would hand over Assad for trial, Ryabkov said: "Russia is not a party to the convention that established the International Criminal Court."
Moscow has supported Syria since the early days of the Cold War, recognising its independence in 1944 as Damascus sought to throw off French colonial rule. The West saw Syria as a Soviet satellite.
On Tuesday, Syria's new interim leader announced that he was taking charge of the country as caretaker prime minister with the backing of the former rebels who toppled Assad.
Separately, Ryabkov said that Russia would "definitely be prepared to consider" another prisoner swap, similar to the August exchange that involved Wall Street Journal reporter journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
A new deal would be "a healthy step forward, especially at the beginning of the next administration," Ryabkov told NBC, adding he would not want to "pre-empt anything."
In World
-
Officials said Thursday that at least 10 people were killed and more than 9,000 homes, businesses and other buildings appeared to have been damaged or destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires.
-
China has nearly tripled its lithium reserves, elevating its status to the world’s second-largest holder of this essential metal for renewable energy technology, according to the state news agency Xinhua.
-
Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who has U.S. support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
-
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued a new alert on Thursday warning non-European carriers not to fly within western Russia airspace due to the risk of being unintentionally targeted by its air defence systems.
Каковы месседжи из последнего интервью Ильхама Алиева и кому они адресованы? - беседа с Аркадием Дубновым
News Line
-
- Politics,
- 15:47
- 352
Leave a review