Russia Could Turn Back If Assad Fails Commitments

Russia's position on Syria could change if Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad does not fulfill his commitments to hand over chemical weapons, stated senior Russian official Sergei Ivanov.

Ivanov, who is chair of Russian President Vladimir Putin's office, was speaking to a security conference in Stockholm.

"I am speaking theoretically and hypothetically, but if we are confident that Assad is cheating us, we can change our position," said the Russian statesman.

At the same time, Ivanov reiterated Russia's commitment to seek a solution of the Syrian crisis via diplomatic means only.

Ivanov further suggested a hypothetical scenario in which it turns out that both Assad's forces and rebels have used chemical weapons in the ongoing Syrian civil war.

He suggested that given such a scenario, the international community will be at a loss what to do.

Some countries, including the USA and Turkey, have claimed they have enough evidence that chemical attacks were carried out by Syrian government forces.

Other countries, such as Russia, have suggested that it might have been the anti-Assad rebels who resorted to use of chemical weapons.