Assad believes federalization ruins Syria: Russia MP

A Russian lawmaker says Syrian President Bashar al-Assad views the federalization of Syria as destructive for the Arab country.

During a Tuesday meeting with Russian parliamentarians in Damascus, the Syrian president said the Syrian people share the same idea about dividing the country into federal states, Russia's State Duma lawmaker Alexander Yuschenko told reporters following the meeting with Assad.

Assad also warned that turning Syria into small regions run by extremist groups would put the world at risk, the lawmaker said.

"Today, the fighting goes on for Syria's future at the talks in Geneva, Bashar al-Assad told us at the meeting, adding that, in his view, federalization will ruin Syria," Yuschenko added.

According to the Russian lawmaker, during the meeting, Assad also positively assessed the potential of the Syria peace settlement within the framework of the Geneva dialogue.

According to another senior Russian official, the Syrian president on Tuesday also stressed the need for a system of political parties that would smooth disputes away, adding that a parliamentary republic will not work in Syria.

"At our talks Bashar al-Assad underlined the importance of establishing a system of political parties in the country, because, in his view, this is a party system which will allow for the ironing out of inter-ethnic and inter-confessional disagreements," Dmitry Sablin, with the Federation Council of Russia, told reporters.

EA