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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Assad: Quitting not up for debate | Assad: Quitting not up for debate |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he has no intention of quitting, and the issue is not up for discussion at next week's peace talks. | Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he has no intention of quitting, and the issue is not up for discussion at next week's peace talks. |
| "If we wanted to surrender we would have surrendered from the start," Mr Assad told Russian MPs in Damascus, according to Interfax news agency. | "If we wanted to surrender we would have surrendered from the start," Mr Assad told Russian MPs in Damascus, according to Interfax news agency. |
| The government, opposition groups and Western diplomats will take part in peace talks in Switzerland next week. | The government, opposition groups and Western diplomats will take part in peace talks in Switzerland next week. |
| More than 100,000 have been killed and millions displaced in Syria's conflict. | |
| Opposition groups have previously demanded the removal of Mr Assad as a condition of any discussions on a possible transitional government. | |
| But the Syrian National Council, the main exiled opposition body, announced on Saturday that it would attend the talks. | |
| The decision was praised by the US, which with Russia and the UN is taking a leading role in organising the negotiations. |