'Eradicate terror' for political deal

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad yesterday said his country must "eradicate terrorism" to find a political solution to its civil war, as he reportedly expressed a willingness to hold new elections.

Meeting a Russian parliamentary delegation as Moscow steps up efforts for a political deal, Assad emphasised the need for greater security.

"The eradication of terrorist organisations will lead to the political solution that Syria and Russia seek and that will satisfy the Syrian people and preserve Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity," state news agency SANA quoted Assad as saying.

The visit by Russian lawmakers came days after Assad's own surprise trip to Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

That trip and ramped-up Russian diplomacy have led to speculation that Moscow is pushing for a new political agreement to end the conflict that began with protests against Assad's rule in March 2011.

But the shape of any such deal remains unclear, with Syria's opposition firmly against Moscow leading peace efforts while pursuing an air campaign it launched in support of Assad on September 30.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that Syria needed to begin preparing for new elections. But that idea has been slammed by rebels.

Rebel forces were equally dismissive of Lavrov's offer Saturday of Russian support for "patriotic" opposition forces fighting against the Islamic State group.

While Russia says its aerial campaign launched last month is targeting IS and other "terrorists," moderate and Islamist rebels say they have been the real focus, not the jihadists.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda has reportedly been killed in Aleppo.

Opposition figures told The Independent that three senior members of Jabhat al-Nusra had been killed, but could not confirm if any of them were the jihadist group's leader Abu Suleiman al-Masri.