Syria to attend Geneva II conference with seriousness

Syria's Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi said Wednesday that the Syrian government will attend the Geneva II conference on Syria and will be open to all ideas. The minister made the remarks during an interview with the Syria's main TV channel, during which he stressed the Syrian government's seriousness to attend the peace talks in Geneva to come up with a political solution to the protracted crisis in Syria. The minister however said that some parties will try to thwart the conference "as they thwarted the Iranian talks in Geneva," referring to the faltering talks between Iran and Western powers regarding Tehran's nuclear program. Slamming the exiled opposition coalition's preconditions before attending the conference, al-Zoubi said that his government was not concerned with the preconditions of the opposition, contending that the Syrian opposition in exile has no political program. He further noted that the opposition, which was reluctant to participate in peace talks with representatives of the Syrian government, had changed its stance because of the pressures of its Western patrons. Earlier this week, the exiled Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the main opposition umbrella in exile, said it would attend the Geneva II conference but placed a condition that President Bashar al-Assad must have no role in the transitional period in the war- ravaged country. The Assad administration repeatedly said it rejects preconditions prior to negotiations.