Syrian FM: Fate of Geneva-2 conference depends on US, Russia

The fate of the Geneva-2 conference on the peaceful settlement in Syria depends on the United States and Russia, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Muallem said, “We believe that this chance should be used to cease violence and improve partnership. But the Syrian delegation will leave for Geneva not to hand over power.” Damascus hopes that the conference will open the way “to create a broad coalition government of national accord with the participation of all segments of the population, including the youth who will lead the process for creating democratic and pluralistic Syria”, the foreign minister said. Muallem considers groundless the West’s arguments under which arms supplies to the Syrian opposition “would restore the balance of forces and make the Syrian authorities to take part in the Geneva conference”. He believes that the Western states’ decision to supply weapons to the so-called Free Syrian Army “extends bloodshed in which Israel, first of all, is interested”. Weapons supplies to rebels “have not stopped over the past two years of the crisis. The resolutions, which were adopted by the foreign ministers of the Friends of Syria Group, set the goal to raise militants’ morale after the Syrian army inflicted defeats on them”, the Syrian minister said.