By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia was not considering providing political asylum to embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister and president-elect Vladimir Putin said.
“This issue has not been discussed,” Putin said at a news conference in Moscow when asked to comment on Tunisian President Munsaf al-Marzuki’s suggestion that Russia could help resolve the Syrian crisis by granting shelter to al-Assad.
In February, commenting on the Syrian unrest during a meeting of the “Friends of Syria” group in Tunisia, al-Marzuki said: “A political solution must be found, such as granting the Syrian president, his family and members of his regime judicial immunity and a place to seek refuge, which Russia could offer.”
“Justice will not be served but the life of Syrians is more important than justice,” he said at the time.
Russia is being seen in the West as a staunch supporter of the al-Assad regime after it used its veto right in the UN Security Council to block a resolution calling on the president to immediately end violence against protesters and launch dialogue with opposition groups.
The violence in Syria has claimed more than 7,500 lives, according to UN estimates.