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The presidency
said in a statement it was clarifying reports that President
Bashar al-Assad had told a Russian delegation on Sunday he would
be ready to hold early parliamentary and presidential elections
called for by his allies in Moscow.
The Russian foreign minister, in an interview broadcast on
Saturday, said Syrians needed to prepare for both parliamentary
and presidential elections, part of an effort by Moscow to
advance a political track towards ending the conflict.
In a statement, the presidency said the Syrian state would
welcome any political solution approved by the Syrian people
that preserves national unity.
But it added that Assad had repeatedly said that the defeat of
what he called terrorism must come before any initiative.
"No initiative or ideas can be implemented, and their success
guaranteed, before the elimination of terrorism and the
restoration of security and stability to the whole country," the
statement said.
The statement did not state Assad's position on the idea of
holding elections.
The Syrian state describes all the groups fighting it as
terrorists. The insurgents include jihadist groups such as the
al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Islamic State, and other
factions including Islamist groups and those fighting under the
banner of the Free Syrian Army.
Russia has been mounting air strikes in Syria in support of the
Syrian military since Sept. 30.
A Russian lawmaker who met Assad on Sunday as part of a
delegation told Reuters the Syrian leader's priority was to
defeat terrorists before holding elections.
That lawmaker and another also said Assad told them he would be
willing to hold parliamentary and presidential elections if
necessary.
Syria's last presidential election was in June, 2014. The vote
was won overwhelmingly by Assad but dismissed as a sham by
opponents, with much of the country at war and millions forced
from their homes.
Assad is believed to control a quarter or less of Syrian
territory, but the bulk of people still in the country are in
the main cities of western Syria that he holds.
(Writing by Tom Perry)
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