Assad government ready to negotiate ‘on anything’ in proposed peace talks
Beirut — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said his government is ready to negotiate on "everything" in proposed peace talks in Kazakhstan, but it was not yet clear who would represent the opposition and no date had been set. Assad also said a ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia, his most powerful ally, was being violated and the army would recapture all of Syria including a rebel-held area near Damascus where a vital water supply had been bombed out of service. He made the remarks in comments to French media that were published by the Syrian state news agency SANA. Russia said last month it had agreed with Assad, Iran and Turkey that the Kazakh capital of Astana should be the venue for new peace talks after rebels suffered their biggest defeat of the war by being driven from eastern Aleppo. Russia and Turkey, a major sponsor of the anti-Assad opposition, have also brokered a truce as a step towards reviving diplomacy, although the warring sides have accused each other of many vi...
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