Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad is ready to call in a snap parliamentary vote to allow a "healthy" opposition to join power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sept.4 it was premature to talk about Russia taking part in military operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as the US said it was checking reports of Russian troops in Syria.

French President Francois Hollande said Aug. 25 that Turkey should do more to tackle Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria and urged it to restore dialogue with Kurdish groups after launching strikes against them more than a month ago. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to host the Jordanian King and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in Moscow on Aug. 25 to discuss the Syrian crisis and take part in a showcase of Russia's military industry.

We know the official explanations by the U.S. and Germany for pulling out their Patriot missile batteries from Turkey. Washington says its Patriots will be deployed to the U.S. for upgrading, and adds that if needed they can be back in a week.

Syria's main opposition group on Aug. 13 insisted President Bashar al-Assad must go and rejected calls to join forces against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists as it met with Russia's foreign minister.  

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on August 12, and called on regional countries to "fight terrorism and extremism".

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on August 11 poured cold water on Russian calls to join forces with the Syrian authorities against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists, insisting it would never work with President Bashar al-Assad.   

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on August 11 Riyadh's position on the conflict in Syria has not changed and that there was no place for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the future of the country. 

Saudi and Russian foreign ministers, Adel al-Jubeir and Sergei Lavrov, will meet in Moscow on August 11 to discuss global energy markets and the Middle East crisis, including the war in Syria and the threat of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Russia's foreign ministry said.