HEZBOLLAH’S SG CALLS ON SYRIAN OPPOSITION TO ATTEND GENEVA-2

         Beirut, 24 Dhul Hijja 1434/29 October 2013 (MINA) – Secretary General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah stated Monday he was on the side of a political solution in the crisis in Syria, calling on the Syrian opposition “to attend the Geneva-2 conference and use that opportunity.”

        “The only solution in Syria is the political attempt by unconditional dialogue method. Use the opportunity by attending the Geneva-2 conference. The whole world understood that the military intervention can not be a solution,” Nasrallah said, when attending the 25th anniversary of Rasul al-Azam hospital’s foundation in Lebanese capital Beirut by teleconference.

        He added an interruption of the political solution in the crisis in Syria would mean an increase of “destruction and murder.”

         Nasrallah also noted Syrian opposition was unsuccessful in uniting.

         “Armed groups in Syria could not change the balance of power and got up against each other. As a result, thousands have died. The acts of the aforesaid groups changed the mood of Syrians, Arabs and world public opinion,” Nasrallah said,  Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

          Previous, Sunday, armed opposition groups in Syria have said that they will not attend the Geneva II peace talks, saying that negotiating with the government of Bashar al-Assad would be an act of betrayal.

          The Geneva peace talks set to take place on November 23 have been repeatedly postponed amid wrangling among the Syrian opposition, and a dispute over which countries, including Iran, should participate.

          However, in the latest blow to the peace talks, 19 of the groups fighting to topple Assad issued a statement.

         “We announce that the Geneva II conference is not, nor will it ever be our people’s choice or our revolution’s demand,” the statement say.

         The statement was read out by Suqur al-Sham brigade chief Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh in a video posted online.

         “We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it.”

         They warned anyone who attends such talks would be committing “treason, and… would have to answer for it before our courts”. (T/P09/E1).

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).