No Joint Russia-US Plan on Syria, Moscow to Launch Drills

Local Editor

Russia on Thursday denied the existence of any joint plan with the United States on the crisis in Syria.

"There was not and is not such a plan and it is not being discussed," foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told reporters, saying Russia's Syria policy was still based on an accord with world powers made back in June for an inter-Syrian dialogue.

This comes as Western reports leaked rumors that a joint US-Russian plan would see President Bashar al-Assad step down in 2014.

Meanwhile, about a dozen Russian warships are converging on the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aden as part of a large-scale strategic exercise, a high-ranking representative the General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces said.

"This part of the world's oceans is very important from the point of view of Russia's geopolitical interests, including the fact that the Russian Navy has a logistical base here [in Syria]," he added.

The warships will conduct air-defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine drills and call at some foreign ports, including Tartus in Syria.
"The main aim of sending the ships to the Mediterranean is to accomplish the missions set by the navy command, conduct exercises and show the flag," he said.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org