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Russian FM, LAS head urge Syrian parties to stop violence

Sergei Lavrov and Nabil El-Arabi urged on Wednesday all without exception Syrian parties to stop any violence and urgently get down to the negotiating table

MOSCOW, November 9 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Nabil El-Arabi urged on Wednesday all without exception Syrian parties to stop any violence and urgently get down to the negotiating table, sources from the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation of the two politicians.

Discussing the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the two officials put emphasis “on issues of the implementation of the LAS initiative on overcoming the crisis in Syria,” they said. Sergei Lavrov confirmed Russia’s firm support for the Arab initiative.

He stressed that “it presents a real platform for the establishment of a dialogue between the Syrian authorities and the opposition, paves the road to the settlement of the situation peacefully and politically,” the sources said.

“In the current difficult situation in Syria and around it, the League of Arab States has practical possibilities for finding optimum solutions, and this chance must not be missed,” Lavrov noted.

Arabi said LAS efforts towards the establishment of an intra-Syrian dialogue and towards ensuring the peaceful settlement of the crisis will be continued.

Lavrov and Arabi “expressed common opinion on a need for all without exception Syrian parties to stop any violence and provocations and urgently sit down to the table of negotiations,” stressing that “all outside players should induce the authorities and the opposition to make constructive steps instead of boycotting a dialogue,” the ministry sources reported.