Posted on
February 26, 2013 by Libya
360°
Lavrov Calls on Oppostion to
hold dialogue with Government.. Extremists Dominate Syrian Opposition
Lukashevich
Expresses Regret Over Syrian Opposition’s Rejection of Possibility for Settling
Crisis
River to Sea
Feb 26, 2013
 |
MOSCOW, (SANA)- Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei
Lavrov, said the extremists have prevailed within the Syrian opposition ranks
and are blocking an initiatives that could lead to dialogue.
“Several days ago we thought that
the conditions had become more clear for the sides to sit at the negotiating
table…There emerged voices in favor of urgently starting such dialogue, without
prerequisite conditions…However these voices were later silenced,” Lavrov told
reporters after meeting in Moscow with his Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermans.
“It seems that extremists…have
prevailed in the ranks of the opposition at this time, including the so-called
National Coalition, blocking all initiatives that could lead to the start of
dialogue,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russia Today website.
“We don’t give up,” he added, “We,
of course, can’t solve the problem on behalf of the Syrians, but we feel in our
contacts with the other countries which could more or less practice influence on
the Syrian sides increasing concern over the continued situation.”
Other countries of the
international community seem to “increasingly understand the need to influence
both the government and the opposition, to convince them not to put forward
unrealistic demands as prerequisites for starting dialogue,” Lavrov said.
He pointed out that this issue will
be discussed during his meeting with the US Secretary of State John Kerry due in
Berlin today.
Lavrov Meets Kerry in Berlin,
Calls on Opostion to Hold dialogue with Government
Lavrov today met his US counterpart
John Kerry in Berlin to discuss the crisis in Syria, bilateral relations and
other important international issues.
“The meeting, which is the first
between Lavrov and Kerry, was a new destination in the Russian, US relations,
though it didn’t make any considerable breakthrough,” Russia Today Website said.
It added that both sides discussed the
crisis in Syria and bilateral relations.
The Russian Foreign Minister called on
the Syrian opposition to hold dialogue with the government and nominate its
representatives.
“We hope the Syrian opposition would
express support for dialogue as it issued conflicting statements in this
regard, we hope the opposition would not only support dialogue, but also
nominate its team for negotiations,” the Russian Today TV site quoted the
Russian Minister as telling reporters following the meeting.
He added, during the latest visit of
Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to Moscow, the Syrian government announced its
readiness to start dialogue as soon as possible and that it has a team for
negotiations.
Lavrov affirmed that Russia and the US intend to
exert all possible efforts to pave the way for launching the dialogue between
the opposition and the Syrian government.
“The
most important thing is that we underlined our understanding on not accepting
the continuation of violence.. based on this fact, we affirmed determination to
do our best,” Lavrov said.
He clarified that the problems of the Syrians would
not be solved except by the Syrians themselves, but it is important to sit to
the dialogue table.
Russian Foreign Ministry
Spokesperson Alexander Lukashevich expressed his country’s regret over some
Syrian opposition figures’ rejection of the possibility for settling the crisis
in Syria.
Lukashevich said on his Twitter
account that it is regrettable that some opposition figures rejected halting
bloodshed in Syria.
He pointed out that talks between
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and Syrian Foreign and Expatriates
Minister Walid al-Moallem focused on searching for a political solution in Syria
through dialogue between the government and the opposition.
On a relevant note, Lukashevich
reiterated on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website his country’s regret over
the opposition’s rejection of holding contact with the government without
preconditions.
He said that such contact would
have led to resolving a whole lot of issues and set the stage for restoring
stability and security and Syria, stressing that Russia will continue its
efforts to help Syrians.
Lukashevich called on the
opposition forces to pay heed to what as announced in Moscow, where Minister
al-Moallem said that Damascus is prepared to hold dialogue with everyone who
wants to do so.
H. Said / F. L. / H. Sabbagh/ Mazen
Uprooted Palestinian
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