Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: President Bashar Assad

Syria Dept: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said "it is obvious that a transitional period is needed to overcome the Syrian crisis," but rejected efforts by outside forces to end the country's bloody conflict and insisted that any plans for the future rest on Syria, according to Vancouver Sun. "We are not supporting and will not support any external meddling," Lavrov said. "External players must not dictate ... to Syrians, but, first of all, must commit to influencing all the sides in Syria to stop the violence." MOSCOW - Russia on Thursday acknowledged that a transition period is necessary in Syria to end the violence, but said it had not agreed to a plan by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan that would call for President Bashar Assad to step down and for the creation of a national unity government. Lavrov said Saturday talks by major powers in Geneva must focus on convincing opposition groups to soften their demands. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.