Russia's Foreign Ministry has slammed Washington's plan to maintain its military presence in Syria, saying it's a violation of international law. Last week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, called for an indefinite US military presence in Syria, to remove president Bashar al-Assad. Russia says Syria should not be turned into a scene of confrontation, between external forces, and that Syrians themselves, should determine the future of their country. Moscow added that it hopes the forthcoming forum held in Sochi, discussing Syria's 7-year-old conflict, will be an important step towards reaching peace.