SYRIA PEACE TALKS IN GENEVA BEGINS TODAY

Geneva, 20 Shafar 1435/22 January 2014 (MINA) – A conference aimed at ending the Syrian civil war will begin in Switzerland today (Wednesday) attended by representatives of the government of Bashar al-Assad and of those opposed to his regime.

United Nations mediator Lakhdar Brahimi said he hoped that detailed discussions, which begin in Geneva will lead to a settlement. A day of formal speeches under UN auspices at a hotel on Lake Geneva has raised no great expectations, particularly among Syria’s frontlines.

UN diplomats believe the talks could initially bring at least some relief for Syrian civilians, by improving aid flows, as well as setting up prisoner exchanges, RTE news media reported quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama had a “businesslike” conversation on the issue by phone yesterday, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met US Secretary of State John Kerry in Montreux.

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The United Nations has set a date for talks between the Syrian government and opposition, in an attempt to push through the first such meeting since the start of the country’s 32-month-old war.

The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said on Monday that the conference, to be held in Geneva on January 22, was “a mission of hope” to end the civil war and agree a transitional government “with full executive powers”.

However Laui Safi, a spokesman for the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC), said shortly after the announcement that the group would only attend if the Syrian regime met its preconditions: the release of prisoners and relief for besieged towns, and that the current president, Bashar al-Assad, has no part to play in the new transitional government.

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The SNC has also said it would need the support of all rebel brigades on the ground, including al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, before it began peace talks.

Iran is ready to play a ” constructive” role in Geneva II conference on Syria if it is invited, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif said.

“We have announced readiness to find a political solution (to Syria crisis) and to have a constructive and effective presence in Geneva II,” Zarif said here at a joint press conference with his visiting Italian counterpart.

“We believe that the view which prevents Iran from playing a positive role on Syria issue is not realistic,” he said.

On December 2013, UN-Arab League joint special representative to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said that the United States had not agreed on Iran’s participation in the upcoming international peace talks on Syria.

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“We hope the efforts (to solve Syria issue) will be based on realities,” Zarif said, reiterating that if Iran is invited, it will take part in the forthcoming conference on Syria.

He stressed only political dialogues among the Syrians can solve the problems of the country, and that outsiders to the Syrian conflict cannot decide on the Syrians’ future.

Iran, the main regional ally of the Syrian government, has condemned foreign intervention and terrorists’ involvement in the Syrian conflict. It has also urged for a ceasefire in Syria prior to Geneva II conference. (T/P04/E1/mirajnews.com)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)