Syrian official: Geneva talks not failure

The internationally-organised conference aimed at solving the Syrian conflict, dubbed Geneva II, did not fail, said a senior Syrian official, who added that his country will continue to fight terrorism. Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Meqdad made the comment, according to an official statement, while meeting heads of diplomatic missions assigned to Syria, including the UN resident representative, who provided the official of a briefing of the results of the two concluded rounds of Geneva talks. "The Syrian government has, since the beginning of the crisis, aimed to reach a peaceful solution as the enemies of Syria have strived to support terrorists with funds and weapons, encouraging them to kill the people of Syria and destroy their national and civil institutions," read the Foreign Ministry statement. The official said that Syria had agreed to the Geneva I communique, issued on June 30, 2012, and had ensured its readiness to attend the following conference, Geneva II. "But the Americans and the Europeans waited for over a year and a half to form a coalition (of opposition) at the Geneva dialogue." Al-Meqdad went on to condemn the opposition's rejection, "without reading" as he claimed, of three documents presented by the Syrian government at the talks. The document, he said, addressed terms for a political declaration, the disarmament of rebel fighters and tackling terrorism. "This shows that the coalition, and whoever stand behind it, do not care about putting a stop to the bloodshed, the independence and sovereignty of Syria or reaching an agreement that responds to the aspirations of the Syrian people - as mentioned in the Geneva I communique," he said.