Damscus, 23 Dul Hijja 1434/28 October 2013 (MINA) – The UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has arrived in Damascus as part of a tour aimed at garnering support for the proposed Syria peace talks in Geneva.
Brahimi travelled to the Syrian capital on Monday and was welcomed by the country’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, upon his arrival in Damascus.
He is expected to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem.
Brahimi had traveled to several countries including Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Iran before arriving in Syria to prepare the ground for the Geneva 2 conference aimed at resolving the crisis in the Arab country.
Also Read: Trump Cuts Ties with Netanyahu, Accuses Israeli PM of Manipulation
The planned conference was proposed by Russia and the US on May 7. The date of the long-delayed event has changed many times as Syria’s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over participating in the meeting, Press TV reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA).
The peace conference in Geneva on a political resolution of the Syrian crisis may finally start on November 23, says Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi. The date of the gathering had been postponed many times amid the opposition’s refusal to participate.
Nabil al-Arabi announced the possible date of the long-awaited ‘Geneva2’ conference after meeting UN-Arab League peace envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi.
“I discussed the Syria file with Lakhdar Brahimi and it was decided that the Geneva meeting would take place on November 23 and arrangements are being made to prepare for this conference”.
Also Read: Trump Hints at Imminent Gaza Announcement Within 24 Hours
“There are many difficulties that must be overcome for this conference to succeed,” he added, however.
Arabi and Brahimi met on Sunday in the Egyptian capital, where the envoy for Syria arrived as part of his Middle Eastern tour to drum up support for Geneva-2.
Brahimi on his part warned that no peace conference can take place without credible opposition participation. He added that Saudi Arabia and Iran’s presence is also needed for a comprehensive representation of parties with invested interests in Syria. He said the date is yet to be officially set.
Earlier this week a similar deadline was mooted by Syrian Deputy Prime Minister, Qadri Jamil, during his visit in Moscow. But some media reports said the meeting may be postponed again by as far as mid-December due to the refusal of the Syrian opposition to participate.
Also Read: Israel, Backed by US, Launches Airstrikes on Yemen
Convening an inclusive peace conference to tackle the Syrian conflict was given priority in May, after a meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The goal of the planned event is to find a compromise, which would bring an end to bloodshed in the country and lead to forming a transitional government.
While the Syrian government was quick to agree to the internationally-sponsored initiative, similar support has not been forthcoming from the many opposition groups. A great deal of the groups fighting on the ground in Syria, especially those with Islamist leanings, either rejected the idea of negotiations or ignored the peace effort.
Moscow on several occasions complained that countries, which support the Syrian opposition and supposedly have leverage over them, are not doing enough to convince them to sit down at the negotiating table.
The troubled preparation for the conference comes as Syria continues its chemical weapons disarmament. On Saturday, Syrian state TV released footage of members of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspecting a Syrian chemical weapons facility. The details on the date and the location have not been released. (T/P04/E1)
Also Read: Ansarallah Declares Aerial Blockade on Israel, Targets Ben Gurion Airport
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
Mina Indonesia
Mina Arabic
Mina Sport