Russia opposes calls for Asad to quit

Russia expressed opposition to the Western calls for Syria''s president to step down and will send a delegation to Syria to meet the opposing sides, the Interfax news agency said today citing a source and a lawmaker. "We do not support such calls and believe it is now that President Bashar al-Assad''s regime needs to be given time to implement all the reform processes that have been announced," Russian /Interfax/ News Agency quoted a ministry source as saying Friday. The comes came a day after US President Barack Obama and other major leaders such as British Prime Minister David Cameron, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Assad to quit. Obama also slapped harsh new sanctions on Syria, freezing state assets and blacklisting the oil and gas sector, in an escalation of pressure aimed at halting a bloody crackdown on protests that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.