Luxembourg FM: Arming opposition doesn't help find political solution for crisis in Syria

Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn said on Monday that providing weapons to the armed opposition in Syria doesn't help in finding a swift solution to end the crisis in the country. During a meeting of the EU Council on the level of foreign ministers, Asselborn said that EU countries should give more thought into holding the international conference on Syria and less thought into sending weapons to armed groups. He stressed that peace cannot be guaranteed without finding a political solution for the crisis in Syria, which requires exerting mutual efforts with Russia and the US to hold the Geneva conference. In statements on the sideline of the meeting, Asselborn voiced conviction that a way can be found to involve Iran in the Geneva conference, noting that Iran's history and regional weight mean that it can offer something to help achieve peace in Syria. He warned of the real threat of the conflict expanding beyond Syria, which would impact stability in the entire region negatively, hoping that participants in the preliminary meeting which will be held on Tuesday with the participation of UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi can make progress in bringing all Syrian sides to dialogue. On more than one occasion, several EU foreign ministers voiced conviction that the solution in Syria can only be realized through a peaceful process, with the ministers attempting to bring their positions closer and reduce their disagreements after France and Britain failed to rally the entire EU to arm the opposition, as several member countries refused to participate in arming them.