Kerry: Syria conference best opportunity to form transitional government

US Secretary of State John Kerry affirmed Monday that the Geneva Conference on Syria due in January is the "best opportunity" to form a new transitional governing body through "mutual consent. " Kerry said in a statement that the January 22 conference "is the best opportunity to implement the Geneva Communique (of June 2012) and form a new transitional governing body through mutual consent, an important step toward ending the suffering of the Syrian people and the destabilizing impact of this conflict on the region." He affirmed that "in order to end the bloodshed and give the Syrian people a chance to meet their long-deferred aspirations, Syria needs new leadership. "We are well aware that the obstacles on the road to a political solution are many, and we will enter the Geneva conference on Syria with our eyes wide open. No one should underestimate the difficulties ahead," he affirmed. He noted that "to contain the growing threat from extremism and foreign fighters within Syria, and to ensure respect for Syria's territorial sovereignty, we cannot delay the work of establishing a transitional government." Kerry added that "since foreign states have considerable influence on the factions waging war within Syria, they too have an important role to play. "The Assad regime must stop using starvation as a weapon of war and immediately begin providing greater humanitarian access to besieged communities. The international community must be proactive and diligent in drawing greater attention to this issue and putting the necessary pressure in place to change behavior on the ground," the US top diplomat remarked.