REPORT: Russia rejects Saudi proposal to abandon Assad for arms deal -sources

      
"The only option left in Syria is the military one," Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan told Russian President Vladimir Putin following the latter's rejection of a Saudi proposal to abandon Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.              

Saudi Arabia has offered Russia economic incentives including a major arms deal and a pledge not to challenge Russian gas sales if Moscow scales back support for President al-Assad, Middle East sources and Western diplomats said.                

The proposed deal between two of the leading power brokers in Syria's devastating civil war was set out by Prince Bandar bin Sultan at a meeting with Russian President Putin in Moscow last week, they said.               

Russia has supported Assad with arms and diplomatic cover throughout the war and any change in Moscow's stance would remove a major obstacle to action on Syria by the United Nations Security Council.                

Syrian opposition sources close to Saudi Arabia said Prince Bandar offered to buy up to $15 billion of Russian weapons as well as ensuring that Gulf gas would not threaten Russia's position as a main gas supplier to Europe.                

In return, Saudi Arabia wanted Moscow to ease its strong support of Assad and agree not to block any future Security Council Resolution on Syria, they said.                

One Lebanese politician close to Saudi Arabia said the meeting between Bandar and Putin lasted four hours. "The Saudis were elated about the outcome of the meeting," said the source, without elaborating.               

Putin's initial response to Bandar's offer was inconclusive, diplomats say. One Western diplomat in the Middle East said the Russian leader was unlikely to trade Moscow's recent high profile in the region for an arms deal, however substantial.              


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REUTERS/LBCI