Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov (right) pictured meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in August 2011, in a handout picture from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). ... more 

Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov (right) pictured meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in August 2011, in a handout picture from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Russia said Tuesday it wanted to host a new meeting of foreign powers concerning the Syria crisis but stressed that the talks should not decide Assad's fate less