Assad WILL take part in elections amid Russian intervention as ISIS win key Syrian route
THE Syrian president has announced he is ready to take part in presidential elections after terror group ISIS seized a key supply route into the country's largest city.
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad WILL take part in elections
President Bashar al-Assad told Russian lawmakers in Damascus today that if the people of Syria supported the idea he would take part in the elections, RIA news agency reported.
The president was also willing to discuss amendments to Syria's constitution.
The news comes after it was revealed ISIS fighters had taken control of a major highway leading to the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Syrian regime soldiers in Aleppo, where ISIS has seized a major supply route
Following a battle that left at least 28 ISIS members and 21 government troops and allies dead, the highway, in a state-held part of the country, was taken by the jihadists.
President Assad's army is now backed by Russia, and the Kremlin is pushing for parliamentary and presidential elections in Syria, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in comments aired on Russian TV yesterday.
Air strike on Syria - MoD
In this morning's meeting, lawmaker Alexander Yushchenko said: "Assad said that if the Syrian people consider it necessary, he would not be against taking part in presidential elections."
Eliminating the terrorist organisations will lead to the political solution that we strive for in Syria and Russia.
Russian planes have been bombing Syrian rebels in a show of support for Assad's regime and the president thanked the Russian delegation for the airstrikes during this morning's meeting.
President Assad also met with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, when he thanked him in person for launching airstrikes against Syria's Islamist militants.
Mr Assad, who became president following elections on June 3, 2014, said: "Eliminating the terrorist organisations will lead to the political solution that we strive for in Syria and Russia."
A woman holds a picture of Bashar al-Assad after he wins the 2014 election
Dmitry Sablin, another lawmaker in the Russian delegation, said that Assad had said the effectiveness of Russia's military operation in Syria had exceeded expectations.
Bashar al-Assad thanked Vladimir Putin for the Russian airstrikes against Syrian rebels
However, some experts say Russia's intervention, which is seen by many rebels as an invasion of their country, is actually helping the very groups it is trying to destroy.
Islamic group Jabhat al-Nusra released a video yesterday boasting of a surge in membership since the Russian airstrikes began in Syria, due partly to the fact one of its commanders had been killed by a Russian bomb.