Russia called Saturday for the launch of a political transition process in Syria, a day after peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met with diplomats from Moscow and Washington in a bid to resolve the nearly two-year-old conflict.
But Moscow also reiterated its long-held position that only Syrians themselves could decide their fate without outside interference.
"In our opinion, the priority task is to immediately stop any violence and bloodshed as well as provide Syrians including internally displaced persons and refugees with humanitarian aid," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"At the same time it is necessary to secure the launch of a political transition process in Syria aimed at enshrining in law guaranteed and equal rights of all ethnic-confessional groups of this country."
"As in the past, we firmly support a premise that issues of Syria's future should be solved by Syrians themselves, without outside interference and the imposition of ready-made recipes."
UN-Arab League special envoy Brahimi on Friday met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns in Geneva.
The discussions took place a day after Syria accused Brahimi of "flagrant bias,” casting doubt on whether he could stay on as international mediator.
The United Nations says that more than 60,000 people have died in the Syria conflict which began in mid-March 2011 with peaceful protests that quickly erupted into deadly violence in the wake of a harsh regime crackdown.
On Friday, several EU members said the United Nations should refer the crisis in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
"Horrendous crimes have already been committed during the conflict in Syria, but there have been no consequences for the perpetrators," the foreign ministers of Austria, Denmark, Ireland and Slovenia wrote in a joint letter released by Austria's Foreign Ministry Friday.
"In view of the grave concerns mentioned above, and the lack of prosecution in Syria, we call on the UN Security Council to urgently refer the situation in Syria to the ICC," they added.
"A referral to the ICC would make clear to every fighter on all sides of the conflict that the gravest crimes will eventually be punished," whether they are rebels or government forces, the ministers went on.
The outskirts of the Syrian capital were rocked by clashes early on Saturday a day after rebels seized a key regime airbase in the north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based watchdog said two children and a man were killed when Mleha just southeast of Damascus was bombarded, and that two rebels battling forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad were also killed there.
The Observatory relies on a network of activists and medics on the ground in Syria when compiling its reports and death tolls. It said violence nationwide on Friday claimed the lives of 86 people, among them 30 civilians.
Regime artillery also opened up on Beit Sahem south of Damascus, as well as Jdaidet Artuz and Daraya to the southeast, the rights group said on Saturday.
It reported that regime air raids on Rastan in the central province of Homs caused casualties, without giving an immediate toll of the dead and wounded.
One rebel was also killed in clashes there, it added.
In the east of the country, a man was killed when artillery pounded Deir Ezzor, the Observatory said.
Among Friday's casualties were nine rebels, eight soldiers and two regime militiamen killed when insurgents overran the key Taftanaz air base in one of their most important military gains to date.
Capturing Taftanaz, from which regime forces launched deadly helicopter gunship sorties, eases the pressure on rebels who already control vast swathes of Syria's north and east.
"This is the largest airbase to be seized since the revolt began" nearly 22 months ago, the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP on Friday.
Government forces managed to evacuate most of the 60 helicopters deployed there, leaving behind 20 that are no longer serviceable, the Observatory said.
Combined stories from AFP
