BEIRUT, Lebanon — Syrian President Bashar Assad sent a senior diplomat to Moscow on Wednesday to discuss proposals to end the conflict convulsing his country made by international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, Syrian and Lebanese sources said.
Brahimi, who saw Assad on Monday and plans to meet with Syrian officials and dissidents in Damascus this week, is trying to broker a peaceful transfer of power, but he has disclosed little about how this might be done.
Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Makdad flew to Moscow to discuss the details of the talks with Brahimi, said a Syrian security source, who would not say whether a deal was in the works. However, a Lebanese official close to Damascus said Makdad had been sent to seek Russian advice on a possible agreement.
“There is a new mood now, and something good is happening,” the official said.
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