Assad tells Russian MPs he is ready to launch constitutional reform

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told Russian parliamentarians at a meeting on Sunday that he was ready to discuss possible amendments to Syria's constitution and hold parliamentary elections, a member of Russia's delegation and the Russian Communist Party's MP, Alexander Yushchenko, has said.
"At our meeting, Mr. Assad announced his readiness to discuss changes to the Constitution of Syria, as well as hold free parliamentary elections with the participation of all political forces committed to the prosperity of the Syrian Republic," he told Interfax over the phone from Damascus on Sunday.
The Syrian president also offered his comments on the ongoing events in Ukraine and drew a parallel between them and the current situation in Syria, Yushchenko said.
"Although these countries are different, the architect behind what is happening today is the same. Nationalists in Ukraine and terrorists of ISIL (Islamic State) are orchestrated from one center," the Russian MP said, citing the Syrian president.