MOSCOW, Dec 8 - Bashar Assad has left Syria and resigned as the country's president, calling for a peaceful transfer of power, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
"After negotiating with some of the parties to the armed conflict within the Arab Syrian Republic, Bashar Assad decided to resign the presidency and leave the country after 24 years in office, ordering a peaceful transfer of power," said the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry added that Russia was not involved in any talks on the transfer of power.
Assad flew out of Damascus airport on Sunday morning as rebels occupied the city. However, the plane, which was headed for the coast where the Alawites live and where there is a Russian base, disappeared from radar screens over Homs in central-western Syria after a short time. There is speculation about a crash and even a possible shoot-down of the machine. According to unconfirmed information from Reuters, Bashar Assad was probably killed in the crash.
The abandoned presidential palace was looted and set on fire by the rebels. They also stormed the residence of the Italian ambassador in Damascus. "Today (on Sunday) in the morning, an armed group entered the garden of the ambassador's residence. They took three cars. Neither the ambassador nor the police officers at the embassy were injured." said the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
A curfew has been imposed in the capital from 16:00 to 05:00 local time.
Xinhua/ Photo - wikipedia/ Gnews.cz - HeK
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