... Russia was not in the business of regime change... "
Moscow (ANTARA News) - Moscow was not going to undertake anything which could lead to "regime change" in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

Some regional players suggested Russia to tell President Bashar al-Assad to leave his position and promised to offer him "safe haven," Lavrov told the Russia Today TV channel in an interview.

Russia "was not in the business of regime change," said the top Russian diplomat, adding he wondered why some players attempted to use Moscow as a postman.

"If President Assad is interested, this must be discussed directly with him," Lavrov noted.

Meanwhile, he said that Western countries have missed many opportunities to end the armed conflict in Syria, while Russia has made several bids to find a peaceful solution to end the violence.

Lavrov also warned the Western approach to categorize Syrian terrorists into good and bad ones was dangerous.

(C003)

Editor: Ade P Marboen
Copyright © ANTARA 2012