Russia: Syrian opposition should respond to Assad

The Syrian opposition should propose its own ideas for dialogue with Damascus in response to those aired by President Bashar al-Assad, Russian news agencies quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Sunday.

"President Assad came out with initiatives aimed at inviting all opposition members to dialogue. Yes, these initiatives probably do not go far enough. Probably they will not seem serious to some, but they are proposals," Lavrov said. "If I were in the opposition's shoes, I would come up with my ideas in response on how to establish a dialogue." (Reuters)