MOSCOW. July 17 (Interfax) - Russia expects the Syrian opposition and those who support it to make efforts as soon as possible to form its part of the committee supposed to draw up a new Syrian constitution, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Russia's Channel One television following a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, Putin acknowledged that the normalization of a political dialogue in Syria is a more difficult job than the military settlement. "We are making quite energetic attempts now to intensify this dialogue; we have persuaded [Syrian] President Assad to form his own part of the constitutional committee that is supposed to prepare amendments to the constitution or a new Syrian constitution. President Assad has done that, while the opposition has still not done that," Putin said.
In this sense, "the ball is in the court of the opposition and those supporting them," Putin said. "They are supposed at least to form their part of this constitutional committee and move further in this direction," Putin said.
"There are conditions for that: the official Syrian administration currently controls a territory where over 90% of the country's population lives," he said.
There are more than three million refugees from Syria in Turkey, one million in Lebanon, and one million in Jordan at the moment, Putin said. "This is a potential current of refugees to Europe and the States. It would be wrong to wait for them to move in this direction, it's necessary to provide conditions for their return," Putin said, adding that basic infrastructure should be restored to this end.
"Therefore, we have agreed [with the U.S.] to act more resolutely together toward this," he said.