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Pressure Mounts on Russia To Switch Horses in Syria

Russia won't give up its alliance with Syria, writes Barbara Slavin, but it may be convinced to detach from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While the Houla massacre didn't horrify Russian President Vladimir Putin as much as the West, it did raise stakes as the clock runs down on UN monitors and Ramadan approaches.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) greets the Syrian delegation as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad  takes his place as they meet in Moscow's Kremlin December 19, 2006.   REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA)

The US, Europe and Arab nations are mounting a concerted effort to convince Russia that it can maintain its alliance with Syria without Bashar al-Assad at the helm.

“There is no chance to detach Russia from Syria,” a senior Western diplomat in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Monday [June 4], referring to Russia’s long alliance with Syria.

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