Russia Not Discussing Assad's Future with U.S.

Russia is not discussing Bashar Assad with the United States, a deputy foreign minister said Wednesday after a report said the West was pushing Moscow to offer the Syrian president exile.

"The situation with the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad is not being discussed with the United States," Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Interfax news agency.

Moscow's Kommersant daily had earlier quoted a Russian diplomatic source as saying that Western nations led by the United States were making "active attempts" to persuade Moscow to offer a home to Assad.

But the report added that Moscow objected to the idea and Ryabkov stressed that Russia rejected a foreign solution to the 16-month-long conflict that monitors say have claimed more than 16,500 lives.

"We have outlined our position many times: who holds power in Syria is an issue that must be settled by the Syrian people," said Ryabkov.

"Schemes offered -- or worse yet, imposed -- from the outside can only hurt."