Lebanon affirms presence in Geneva conference on Syria

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman asserted Monday that the proposed Geneva II conference to solve the Syrian crisis will be held on January 22, 2014 with the participation of 37 countries including Lebanon. In a statement released by the media office, Suleiman said that "Lebanon's participation in the Geneva II conference comes within the context of its announced stance based on the need to find a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria." The proposed peace talks aim at putting an end to the 3-year- long crisis that has engulfed Syria with rebels seeking to overthrow the administration of President Bashar Assad. The Syrian government announced that it will attend the conference and has formed its delegation, but the opposition groups are so far hesitant in participating.