Putin: Al-Assad's fate not a priority

Putin: Ending Syrian war takes priority over al-Assad's fate - CNN.comvar cnnCurrTime=new Date(1356026474000),cnnCurrHour=13,cnnCurrMin=1,cnnCurrDay="Thu",cnnIsIntl=true,clickID=212106,cnn_cvpAdpre="edition.",cnnCVPAdSectionT1="edition.cnn.com_middleeast_main_t1",cnnCVPAdSectionInPage="edition.cnn.com_middleeast_main_inpage",cnnShareUrl="%2F2012%2F12%2F20%2Fworld%2Fmeast%2Fsyria-civil-war%2Findex.html",cnnShareTitle="Putin%3A%20Ending%20Syrian%20war%20takes%20priority%20over%20al-Assad's%20fate",cnnShareDesc="",cnnFirstPub=new Date('Thursday Dec 20 06:33:16 EST 2012'),cnnSectionName="world",cnnSubSectionName="wrd : middle east",cnnPageType="Story",cnnBrandingValue="default";cnnPartnerValue="";cnnOmniBranding="",cnnAuthor="Saad Abedine and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN ",disqus_category_id=207582,disqus_identifier="/2012/12/20/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html",disqus_title="Putin: Ending Syrian war takes priority over al-Assad\'s fate",cnn_edtnswtchver="edition",cnnIsStoryPage=true,cnn_metadata = {};cnn_metadata = {section: ["world","wrd : middle east"],friendly_name: "Putin: Ending Syrian war takes priority over al-Assad\'s fate",template_type: "content",template_type_content: "gallery",business: {cnn: {page: {author: "Saad Abedine and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN ",broadcast_franchise: "",video_embed_count: "4",publish_date: "2012/12/20",photo_gallery: "Photos: Showdown in Syria"},video: {video_player: ""}}},user: {authenticated: "",segment: {age: "",zip: "",gender: ""}}};if (typeof(cnnOmniPartner) !== "undefined") {if (cnn_metadata.template_type_content === "") {cnn_metadata.template_type_content = "partner";}}var photo_gallery = "Photos: Showdown in Syria";if(typeof CNN==='undefined'){var CNN=Class.create();}CNN.expandableMap=[''];function _loginOptions(){};var disqus_url=(typeof disqus_identifier!=='undefined') ? 'http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/20/world/meast/syria-civil-war/index.html' : 'http://www.cnn.com'+location.pathname;cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['607x95_adlinks','336x280_adlinks']); EDITION:  INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV:   CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport PrintEmailMore sharingPutin: Ending Syrian war takes priority over al-Assad's fateFrom Saad Abedine and Laura Smith-Spark, CNN December 20, 2012 -- Updated 1604 GMT (0004 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(27);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Showdown in Syria", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}A child sits in the back of a vehicle at the border crossing leading to Masnaa, Lebanon, as people wait to stamp their documents before leaving Syria on Wednesday, December 19. Click through to view images from Syria from December, or see photos of the conflict from November.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Palestinian children who fled the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmuk wait at the Masnaa Border Crossing leading into Lebanon on December 19.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Syrians line up outside a bakery offering cheap bread in Aleppo, Syria on Sunday, December 16. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A Syrian boy walks past a rebel fighter in the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on Friday, December 14.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Two men on a motorcycle lead a horse through the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on December 14, 2012.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Rebel fighters push out a boat carrying two Syrian women fleeing to Turkey through the Orontes River near the northern Syrian town of Darkush on December 14.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Passengers gather at a terminal at the airport in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday, December 12.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A member of the Syrian opposition's Al-Buraq Brigade stands guard on a main road in the northern Syrian town of Ain Dakna near the Turkish border on Monday, December 10. Click through to view images of the fighting from December, or see photos of the conflict from November.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position as he aims his weapon in Aleppo's al-Amereya district on Tuesday, December 11.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":9,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Men warm themselves by a fire on a street corner in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":10,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A rebel soldier watches Al-Jazeera news in a shop near the front lines in Aleppo on December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":11,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A rebel soldier prays in a shop in Aleppo on December 9.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":12,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Syrians mourn a fallen fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on Saturday, December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":13,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A Syria rebel commander sits behind a desk in his bombed-out position in Aleppo on December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":14,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A Syrian rebel fighter emerges from a hole in a wall in Aleppo on December 8.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":15,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Rebel fighters take part in a demonstration against the Syrian regime after Friday prayers in Aleppo on December 7.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":16,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A wounded rebel fighter is transported to a hospital in the back of a truck in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday, December 6. At least 23 people died in Syria on Thursday, most of them in Damascus and Aleppo, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":17,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Rebel soldiers stand guard inside a building in Aleppo on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":18,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Angelina Jolie, special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, meets with Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp outside Mafraq, Jordan, on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":19,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters stand guard against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Al-khalidiya neighborhood of Homs on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":20,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters take cover in destroyed buildings during clashes with regime forces on December 4.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":21,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Syrians cross the border from Ras al-Ain, Syria, to the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":22,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Boys walk through a damaged area In Aleppo, Syria, seen through a destroyed car on December 4.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":23,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}A man inspects rubble in a neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, December 2.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":24,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}The bodies of three children reportedly killed in a mortar shell attack are laid out for relatives to identify at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on December 2. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":25,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Smoke rises from fighting in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts of Aleppo on Saturday, December 1. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":26,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}Syrian-Kurdish women and members of the Popular Protection Units, an armed opposition group to the Syrian government, stand guard during a comrade's funeral in a northern Syrian border village on December 1.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":27,"title":"Showdown in Syria"}HIDE CAPTIONShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in SyriaShowdown in Syria<<<123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"Photos: Showdown in Syria");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: The U.N. Commission on Syria warns that the conflict has become "overtly sectarian"The goal is to end the bloody conflict in Syria, Russia's president says Talks between the opposing sides are crucial, he saysA U.N. official warns of the likely destruction of Syria if no political solution is reached

(CNN) -- Russia declared Thursday that its goal is to end the bloody conflict in Syria, not help the nation's embattled president cling to power at all costs.

"We are advocating the solution that would prevent the collapse of the region and the continuous civil war," Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a televised news conference in Moscow.

"Not retain (President Bashar) al-Assad and his regime."

To do that, he said, talks between opposing sides are crucial.

"First, people should negotiate, agree on how their participation would be guaranteed ... not first destroy everything and then try to negotiate," Putin said.

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Russia is "not concerned" about al-Assad's fate, he said.

"We understand what's going on there (in Syria). We know that this family has been in power for 40 years," he said.

The Syrian civil war started in March 2011 when a government crackdown on civilian demonstrators morphed into a fight between government forces and rebels.

U.S. officials have accused Russia and China of blocking efforts to topple al-Assad by vetoing United Nations Security Council resolutions against the Syrian government.

But Syria's opposition coalition Thursday denied any targeting of Russian citizens over Moscow's stance, according to the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

The news agency said it had received a statement from the opposition coalition that condemned any attacks on "innocent civilians," whatever their nationality.

"While condemning the Russian government's policy and position on political and military support for al-Assad's regime, the National Coalition states unequivocally that the Russian leadership alone bears the entire responsibility for its actions and Russian citizens are not to blame for that," it quotes the statement as saying.

The National Coalition of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces gained recognition from the United States and others at a Friends of Syria meeting in Morocco this month. Russia was not present.

On Wednesday, Haitham al-Maleh, a prominent leader of the Syrian opposition abroad, told broadcaster Al Jazeera that Russians are a "legitimate" target for Syrian militants since Russia supports al-Assad.

Two Russian citizens were kidnapped Monday along with an Italian near the western Syrian port city of Latakia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The latest report from the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria, covering the period from late September to mid-December, warns that the conflict between government and rebel forces is "overtly sectarian in nature" as it nears the end of its second year.

Witnesses in Syria have described escalating tension between the Shia and Sunni communities, while anxious ethnic and religious minority groups "have increasingly aligned themselves with parties to the conflict, deepening sectarian divides," the report says.

While government forces remain in control of southern areas, rebel forces control large swathes of central and northern Syria, it says.

Rebel fighters, who are increasingly better armed, are also challenging government control of key infrastructure such as oil fields, major highways, airports and military camps.

Violence has "increased dramatically" in and around major cities, in particular Damascus and Aleppo, where rebels have advanced to neighborhoods close to city centers, the report says.

The independent commission has not been allowed by the government to enter Syria but has questioned nearly 1,200 witnesses and victims.

Meanwhile, several hundred residents of a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus returned to their homes Thursday, Rami Abdurrahman of the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The United Nations estimates that more than 100,000 people have fled the Yarmouk camp, which is home to nearly 150,000, since government shells rained down Sunday and clashes between rebel fighters and a pro-government Palestinian militia erupted.

The fleeing Palestinians have sought refuge elsewhere in Syria and across the border in Lebanon.

Many displaced Palestinians have been living for decades in Yarmouk, a nearly square-mile district inside Damascus about five miles from the center of the city. Formed in 1957, the urban enclave is the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria.

Syria's official news agency, SANA, reported that Yarmouk residents staged a massive protest on Thursday expressing their rejection of armed terrorist groups.

U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman warned Wednesday that the situation in Syria has "escalated dangerously," according to a U.N. media release.

"As we have repeatedly underlined, the military approach pursued by both sides comes at a devastating cost in terms of human lives and destruction, and breeds a serious risk of sectarian and communal strife, radicalization and terrorism," he told a meeting of the Security Council.

"If nothing is done to change the current dynamic, and to move toward a political solution, the destruction of Syria will be the likely outcome."

The United Nations and its humanitarian partners appealed Wednesday for $1.5 billion to help civilians affected by the conflict in Syria over the next six months.

Read more: U.N. announces $1.5 billion aid plan for refugees

The aid will go to help those still in Syria, as well as more than half a million registered refugees outside its borders.

U.N. planners say about $1 billion will be needed to support refugees in countries including Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt, with numbers expected to rise as high as a million in the first half of next year.

The remaining $500 million will help an estimated 4 million people inside Syria who need urgent humanitarian assistance, according to the United Nations, about half of whom have fled their homes.

Read more: Refugee figures fail to give true picture of crisis

The conflict has held the attention of world powers for months because of relentless brutality that has left more than 40,000 people dead.

The death toll so far Thursday is 28, including nine in Damascus and its suburbs and nine in Daraa province, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria, an opposition network.

Read more: Syrian VP seeks 'historic settlement', unity government

0Comments »PrintEmailMore sharingvar OB_permalink='http://edition.cnn.com'+location.pathname;var OB_langJS='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_widgetId='AR_1';var OB_Template="cnnedition";if (typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined'){OutbrainStart();}else{var OB_Script=true;var str="cnnad_createAd("34441","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=607x95_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=middle_east&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","95","607");cnnad_registerSpace(34441,607,95);cnnad_createAd("405385","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=336x850_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=middle_east&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","850","336");cnnad_registerSpace(405385,336,850);Part of complete coverage on Showdown in SyriaSyrian family lives undergroundDecember 5, 2012 -- Updated 1232 GMT (2032 HKT)Down a steep stone stairway and into the darkness lies a cold chamber that looks more like a dungeon than a home. 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He mixes sugar with a noxious chemical to make bombs for opposition.Aleppo residents find little leftDecember 5, 2012 -- Updated 1236 GMT (2036 HKT)Children elbow each other for the last burnt scraps of cracked wheat. Even as fighting subsides in parts of Aleppo, fear and chaos remain.Children caught up in Syria's warNovember 28, 2012 -- Updated 0146 GMT (0946 HKT)Brooke Baldwin talks to Kimberly Brown from Save The Children about violence against Syrian children.Inside Turkish town on Syrian borderNovember 17, 2012 -- Updated 2305 GMT (0705 HKT)Syrian fight overflows to Turkish town of Ceylanpinar, where residents deal with explosions, bullets or bombs coming from the Syrian side.al-Assad vows to 'live and die' in SyriaNovember 9, 2012 -- Updated 1223 GMT (2023 HKT)Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an ominous threat against foreign intervention, saying it would have a "domino impact" on the world.Witness: Indiscriminate killing in SyriaNovember 27, 2012 -- Updated 0311 GMT (1111 HKT)Photojournalist Robert King describes the bombs that fell on a hospital and other fatal attacks he saw in Syria.Photos: Showdown in SyriaDecember 19, 2012 -- Updated 1809 GMT (0209 HKT)As the conflict drags on, hundreds of thousands of people see their homes and lifes destroyed. See the latest photos from Syria.Young Syrian amputee's storyNovember 1, 2012 -- Updated 1614 GMT (0014 HKT)Meet Abdulrahman, an 11-year-old soccer-lover who lost his leg to a Syrian rocket and is now desperately seeking a prosthetic. Syrian war photographer breaks taboos December 17, 2012 -- Updated 1516 GMT (2316 HKT)CNN's Arwa Damon reports from inside Aleppo on a female Syrian war photographer breaking taboos in the name of freedom. Conflict threatens regional stabilityOctober 11, 2012 -- Updated 1119 GMT (1919 HKT)The recent confrontation could ignite regional convulsions as Turkey is sucked into Syria, leading to belated actions from the international community.Mideast peace starts with talking to IranNovember 16, 2012 -- Updated 0836 GMT (1636 HKT)President Obama is getting a lot of free advice. With every issue in the Middle East intertwined with every other, where do you begin?Share your story on iReportAre you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport, but please stay safe..cnn_strycrcntrnwsp .cnn_mtpmore { padding:10px 0px 1px 0px; }.cnn_stryccnwsp2 .cnn_stryccnwsp3 { width:100% }Most PopularToday's five most popular storiesSome believe Friday is doomsday on the Mayan calendar; the Mayans don'tFake eagle video, real Obama photo go viralReal Madrid to face Manchester United in European Champions League American crowned Miss Universe for first time in 15 yearsFrom Robert Bork to Instagram in 7 stepscnnad_createAd("520496","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=300x150_rgt&cnn_intl_rollup=middle_east&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","150","300");cnnad_registerSpace(520496,300,150);

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