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Russia, Saudis still differ on Assad


    MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow and Riyadh continue disagreeing on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the two countries' foreign ministers said on Tuesday commenting on one of the most contentious points that has stalled efforts to solve the conflict.

    Russia is a key Assad ally and wants him being involved in efforts to fight Islamic State. Moscow has held multiple high-level diplomatic contacts in recent days, promoting its idea of a coalition to fight the jihadist group.

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Russian idea boiled down to coordinating Iraqi and Syrian armies, Kurdish forces and some armed Syrian opposition groups already clashing with Islamic State on the ground.

    But Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the same news conference that Assad was part of the problem, not the solution, and had no place in Syria's future. He ruled out any coalition that could bring Riyadh and Assad together.

    Jubeir also said Riyadh was interested in purchasing top-notch Russian arms, including the Iskander missiles, and hoped the two countries would soon finalise talks on an arms contract.

    (Reporting by Katya Golubkova, Writing by Gabriela Baczynska, Editing by Dmitry Zhdannikov)