Isn't it time to eat

Russia convinces the Syrian dictator Bashar al -Assad to hold early presidential elections. This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to a large Russian official who wished to remain unnamed.

As the interlocutor of the publication explained, Assad will confirm his legitimacy with a victory in the extraordinary elections and will receive more reason to ignore the United States and their allies who require his resignation. The official also stated that the civil war, which unfolded in the most part of the territory of Syria, would not interfere with the vote.

However, the source of the publication concluded, the decision whether to hold the elections or not, remains with Assad.

Another interlocutor of the publication, close to the Damas regime, also did not rule out early elections - both presidential and parliamentary. In this case, the source added, Assad will go to early elections and win.

The latest presidential elections in Syria were held in June 2014. Assad was declared their winner and went to his third seven -year term. According to official results, he gained 89 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, the United States, the European Union and the Cooperation Council of the Arab states of the Persian Gulf recognized the election results.

On the evening of October 20, Assad met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. This was the first foreign visit of the Syrian dictator since the beginning of the Civil War in the country in 2011.

According to the results of the meeting, Putin said: "We proceed from the fact that on the basis of positive dynamics during hostilities, the long-term settlement can ultimately be achieved on the basis of a political process with the participation of all political forces, ethnic and religious groups. And ultimately the decisive word should certainly remain exclusively behind the Syrian people."

Assad, for his part, thanked Putin for his support. "The terrorism, which has now spread in the region, if not for your actions and your decisions, would have taken much larger areas and would have spread to an even larger territory," he said.

According to Gazeta.ru, on Thursday evening, speaking in Sochi at the meeting of the Valdai discussion club, Putin said that during the negotiations he asked how Assad would react to “if we find even an armed opposition in Syria, but to resist and really fight with terrorists, with ISIS”. According to the Russian leader, the Syrian guest replied that he would react to this "positively."

At the end of the same meeting, in response to a replica that the goal of Russia is to preserve Assad in power in Syria, Putin assured: "Our goal is to defeat terrorism and defeat terror. And help Assad to defeat terror."