Syria's deputy FM: Ballots will decide Syria's future

Syria's Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Fayssal Mikdad affirmed that only the Syrian people will decide upon their future and leadership. In a meeting at Damascus University on Wednesday, Mikdad said that the Syrian people will not allow anyone to mislead them or meddle in their choices, adding "the ballots will decide Syria's future", Al-Alam reported. Mikdad voiced commitment to everything that benefits Syria and carrying out obligations, saying that the priority for the conference will be preserving the unity of Syria's land and people and eliminating terrorism which claims tens of lives each day. He said that Syria will participate in the Geneva conference with an official delegation representing the government and carrying the directives and instructions of President Bashar al-Assad. The Deputy Minister said that the Syrians alone can ensure the success of the conference, and that every decision made there is subject to their approval, adding that the Syrian people's victory is inevitable, particularly in light of the fact that terrorism can't find incubators and that thousands of people who were misled returned to the right path. Mikdad said that the countries supporting terrorism are responsible for the crimes committed by terrorism, particularly Turkey whose prime minister personally supports terrorism and works for the Muslim Brotherhood, noting that the Turkish leadership is linked directly to the chemical weapons attacks committed by terrorists in Khan al-Assal and Eastern Ghouta, and that Syria submitted documents proving this to the UN and other countries. The Syrian official also pointed out that Syria welcomed all initiatives to resolve the crisis politically, while western countries sought to exploit these initiatives to allow terrorists to expand. Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies are supporting the militants and Takfiri terrorists operating inside the Arab country.