Russia and Saudi Arabia have failed in talks held in Moscow to overcome their differences on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a central dispute in Syria's civil war that shows no sign of abating despite renewed diplomacy.
Moscow has called for coordination between the Syrian government and members of an international coalition fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which controls swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Speaking after talks in Moscow on Tuesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir reiterated Riyadh's stance that Assad must go.
"A key reason behind the emergence of Islamic State was the actions of Assad who directed his arms at his nation, not Islamic State," Jubeir told a news conference after talks with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"Assad is part of the problem, not part of the solution to the Syrian crisis. There is no place for Assad in the future of Syria," he said.
Saudi Arabia is part of a US-led regional coalition conducting air strikes on ISIL positions in Syria and neighbouring Iraq, but Lavrov said this was not likely to successfully combat the group.
Jubeir and Lavrov said they discussed bringing various opposition groups closer together to improve their chances in facing ISIL and better coordinate in international talks on solving the conflict
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