Saudi Arabia: Russian withdrawal from Syria ‘very positive’

Riyadh, (IINA) - Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir praised Russia's partial withdrawal of forces from Syria on Wednesday, saying that it is “a very positive step”. He also hoped it would compel President Bashar Al-Assad to make concessions, Arab News reported.
President Vladimir Putin unexpectedly announced on Monday that most Russian forces would leave Syria, more than five months after they started air strikes to bolster Assad.
“It is our hope that it will contribute to an acceleration of the political process based on the Geneva 1 declaration and that it will compel the Assad regime to make the concessions necessary to bring about a political transition”, Al-Jubeir said.
Asked about oil market speculation of a “grand bargain” involving Saudi energy policy and Russian foreign policy, he said: “As far as I know, and I believe I am in a position to know, there is no such thing”.
In Cairo, the Arab League also welcomed Russia's move, saying the step would help UN-mediated talks to end the country's war.
“The Russian announcement ... represents a positive and important step toward fostering efforts ... for the success of the Geneva negotiations taking place under the auspices of the UN for stabilizing the truce”, Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby said.
The Syrian government and the opposition are holding UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva as part of a diplomatic push launched with US-Russian support to end the five-year-old conflict.
Just under half of Russia’s fixed-wing strike force based in Syria has flown out of the country in the past two days, according to a Reuter’s calculation.
The precise number of planes Russia kept at its Hmeymim base in Syria’s Latakia province is secret. But analysis of satellite imagery, airstrikes and Defense Ministry statements suggested it had about 36 fixed-wing military jets there.
AG/IINA

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