Syrian opposition sees hope in Moscow; Assad's critics say Russia's stance may be shifting

[pampango]

in their favour

Syrian opposition members say they have sensed a shift in Russia's stance on the conflict in their homeland and voiced hope Tuesday that Moscow will crank up pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.

On a visit to Moscow, Haytham Manna, spokeswoman for the Arab Commission for Human Rights, said Russia has voiced support for democratic changes in Syria and believes the Syrians themselves should determine the country's future.

"The representatives of the Russian government aren't inclined to support the idea of preservation of the dictatorial regime," Manna told a news conference. "They are talking about the need for continuing democratic changes, and it's very important for us."

Abdul-Aziz al-Kheir, a spokesman for the National Co-ordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, said Russia's position has been changing over the past two months and "particularly fast over the past two weeks."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/04/17/syria-moscow.html

I know of one guy in Syria that hopes this is not true.