Syria ready to attend Geneva conference without pre-condition: Syria FM
Iran Press TV
Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:2PM GMT
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem says Damascus is ready to participate in a peace conference in Geneva without any pre-conditions to help bring the bloodshed in the country to an end.
Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Monday, Muallem said his country is ready to discuss the formation of a national unity government during the conference.
"We will head to Geneva not to hand over power to the other side.... We will go to Geneva in order to set up a real partnership and a broad national unity government," he added.
Muallem also slammed a decision by the so-called ‘Friends of Syria’ group of Arab and Western governments to arm the militants fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, saying it would only prolong the conflict in the county.
"Two days ago a conference (of the Friends of Syria group) was held in Doha. They emerged with a clear decision to arm the opposition.... This will only prolong the crisis," Muallem noted.
The meeting came after the US said it would provide the foreign-backed militants with "direct military aid."
Muallem warned that any arms provided to the opposition would end up in the hands of Al-Nusra Front, a rebel group that has openly proclaimed its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and is on Washington's terror blacklist.
"I only want to say that what was decided in Doha is dangerous because it aims at prolonging the violence, and it encourages terrorism," he said.
Syria’s top diplomat accused Washington of spreading lies about the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian military, adding that conspirators against Syria don’t want to end the Syria conflict as it is in the interest of Israel.
Unrest has gripped Syria since March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of Syrian security forces, have been killed in the unrest.
PG/SS/SL
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