Kremlin aide: Russia-EU summit to focus on Syria

Discussion over the Syrian crisis is expected to top the upcoming Russia-EU summit agenda, an official said here Friday. During the two-day summit due in Russia's Yekaterinburg on June 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin will air the position on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's resignation if the issue is brought up by the EU delegation led by European Council President Herman van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, presidential aide Yury Ushakov told reporters. He said that it was for the Syrian population itself to resolve this issue. "How can you remove Assad from the outside and leave the country in chaos?" he said. The Syrian settlement would be discussed informally on the first day of the summit, and will also be addressed at the plenary session on June 4, Ushakov added. Bilateral cooperation between Russia and EU will also be addressed though the sides have been at odds over establishing a visa-free travel regime. "During an informal lunch in a narrow format, the participants will discuss the global economic situation ... and G20's activity in the context of Russia's chairmanship," the Interfax news agency quoted Ushakov as saying. Special attention, he noted, should be paid to "trade-economic cooperation, including taking into account the outcomes of a contact between the Russian government and the EU in Moscow in March this year." The summit's agenda also includes the Iranian nuclear program, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, North Africa and the Middle East.