Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 15 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva, A. Taghiyeva /
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's leaving is not inevitable. Even if there are any changes in the power structure, the ruling regime is likely to remain, Director of the Russian Center for Public Policy Research Vladimir Evseev said in an interview with Trend.
He said that the current regime is opposed only by the "Muslim Brotherhood" organization, which can not take power democratically.
Vladimir Evseev has recently visited Damascus within the Russian delegation, consisting of political scientists, writers and journalists. The delegation met with Syrian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration Al-Faisal Mekdad.
In general, the Syrian opposition is not uniform. Its part is ready for a dialogue with the authorities, he said.
Russia and China blocked the adoption of the resolution on Syria in the UN Security Council last Saturday, using the veto. This is the second time when Russia and China as permanent members of the UN Security Council, do not pass a resolution on Syria. The clashes between the opposition and the authorities continue from March 2011.
The expert said that the opposition can not take power by democratic means now, as the big cities are in favor of stability.
"I have not seen the decline of the Syrian army," he said. "People are ready to fight with the radical opposition. Perhaps, the security forces should work better. But Damascus does not leave the impression of the capital of the state covered by the civil war, which testifies to the fact that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's leaving is not inevitable."
The Syrian leadership takes serious steps, such as a referendum on constitutional changes, and the made amendments are very democratic, he said.
He stressed the possibility of limiting the presidency by two terms, the removal of the leading role of the Baath Party, a ban on the power transfer by inheritance among other reforms. Moreover, the parliamentary elections are planned to be held in late May - June.
"But the ruling party will receive the majority in the parliament, with the right to form a government," he said. "The matter rests in serious processes that must be supported."
Tunisia plans to host a "Friends of Syria" conference on February 24.
Tunisia conference has three main objectives: to obtain international support for the Arab plan for the Syrian settlement, to express solidarity with the Syrian people to end the armed conflict, bloodshed and to move to a political settlement, as well as to condemn all forms of violence that led to the collapse of civilian life in Syria.
Daily reports are received about death of people - both civilians and security forces.
According to the UN statistics, the total number of victims in the country exceeds 5,000 people.