Senior Russian diplomat to meet Assad in Damascus

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov arrived in Syria Wednesday for a meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, as Moscow presses its bid to restart a peace process for the war-torn country, Syrian media said.
Bogdanov will also meet with Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, state television said, in a visit that comes after recent meetings with Syrian opposition groups and trips to Lebanon and Turkey.
"In Istanbul, I met with Syrian opposition members," Bogdanov said as he arrived at his Damascus hotel.
"We want to reach an agreement on many issues with the Damascus authorities," he added.
Bogdanov's Syrian counterpart Faisal Muqdad said: "I am sure our Russian friends are bringing with them ideas that we will discuss, so that the bid succeeds, and so that we can reach a political solution that is mainly founded on the integrity of Syrian territory."
In November, key Damascus backer Russia held meetings in Moscow with a top opposition leader, Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, and with a delegation headed by Muallem.
No date has yet been set for any future talks.
Source: AFP