Negotiator: Russia Was Willing to Have Bashar Al-Assad Step Down in 2012
Russia was ready to agree to a proposal that would see Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad renounce his presidency as part of a peace agreement between Syrian and rebel forces that would likely end the civil war in the nation, Martti Ahtisaari—the former President of Finland, who was involved in negotiations at the time—told The Guardian in an interview published on Tuesday.