FILE - Syrian National Coalition Chief Ahmad al-Jarba, left, listens to US Secretary of State John Kerry, right, during the start of their meeting at the US Ambassador residence in Paris, France, Monday, Jan. 13, 2014.
Syria＇s main Western-backed opposition coalition is set to vote Friday on whether to attend next week＇s peace talks in Geneva.
The Syrian National Coalition＇s meeting in Istanbul comes amid intense U.S. pressure for the opposition to attend the conference, which is aimed at forming a transitional government.
Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that the talks are the "best opportunity for the opposition to achieve the goals of the Syrian people and the revolution."
"It is about establishing a process essential to the formation of a transition governing body with full executive powers established by mutual consent. That process, it is the only way to bring about an end to the civil war that has triggered one of the planets most severe humanitarian disasters and which has created the seeding grounds for extremism," said Kerry.
Opposition leaders so far have refused to attend talks, which begin January 22, without a prior commitment that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will step down.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem confirmed Friday that Damascus will attend the January 22 conference.
"As I already confirmed yesterday, the Syrian delegation will go to Geneva, as we believe that a peace settlement is the only way out of the conflict in Syria," said al-Moallem.
Speaking in Moscow after meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Moallem also said he is ready to exchange lists with rebel forces on a possible prisoner exchange and that he has handed Russia plans for a cease-fire in Aleppo, Syria＇s biggest city.
Moallem also shot back at Washington, which he said was "supporting terrorist groups" in Syria＇s civil war.
Syria＇s government has agreed to attend the conference, but has tried to shift the focus from forming a new government to fighting terrorism. Assad considers all of the Syrian rebels to be terrorists.
Kerry said the U.S. is also concerned about the rise of extremism in Syria, but insisted Damascus is to blame for the unrest that has left over 120,000 people dead.
He also said that the leader of any transitional government would have to be approved by all sides, meaning President Assad would likely be excluded.
|
|
