Moscow regrets Syria's opposition PM

Russia said Tuesday that it deeply regretted the election of Syria's interim prime minister Ghassan Hitto. "In Moscow we learned of this step by the National Coalition with deep regret," Spokesman for the Russia Foreign Ministry Alexander Lukashevich said. He said the decision taken in Istanbul could only deepen the state of internal instability in Syria and increase the possibility of the country's falling apart. Hitto, 50, was chosen early Tuesday in Istanbul by a majority of the main opposition National Coalition members, after hours of closed-door consultations. He will be setting up an interim government which would be based in rebel-held territory in Syria. Russia has vetoed UN Security Council sanctions against President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, insisting that the conflict must be solved internally through talks between the Syrian government and the opposition.