Putin meets Assad, calls for ‘political process’ on Syria

SOCHI, Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin held a rare meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Thursday and said the “military success” in Syria allowed for a large-scale “political process” leading to the withdrawal of foreign forces and the reconstruction of the country.

A day after UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura warned a regime assault on the rebel-held area of Idlib could affect 2.3 million people, Putin met Assad in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

“After the success of the Syrian government army in the fight against the terrorists” the condition are in place for “the start of a political process on a major scale,” Putin said in a statement released by the Kremlin following the meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “there were detailed discussions” between the two leaders, who last met in December at a Russian military air base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia.

“With the start of the political process in its most active phase, foreign armed forces will withdraw from Syrian territory,” Putin said, without specifying which foreign forces.11 pro-regime forces dead in Syria airbase blasts: At least 11 pro-government fighters were killed as explosions ripped through weapons and fuel depots Friday at a regime military air base in central Syria, a monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blasts in Hama province were likely due to a “technical problem”.“The explosions struck several regime depots of weapons and fuel at Hama military airport,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

“They were probably caused by a technical problem,” he said.Eleven regime forces were killed, including members of allied militias, and dozens more wounded or still unaccounted for, Abdel Rahman said.