MOSCOW, June 9 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow calls for immediately starting preparations for an international conference on Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
Speaking at a news briefing on Saturday, Lavrov said, “We want discussions at the conference to be sincere in order to make it clear as it is real to agree on coordinated efforts towards the government and all groups of the opposition.”
“If you ask me about the term: the sooner, the better. But of course, we cannot meet without agreeing on all aspects with the countries involved in the process.” “Experts are likely to meet. But now we’re working hard with our colleagues and we believe that it is important to create an information climate, which facilitates the search for ways to cease fire as soon as possible,” he added.
According to the Russian minister, there are no grounds for revising Russia’s position on Syria. “If anyone treats the initiative on convening the international conference as a signal to this, these people are wrong. We are convening the conference on Syria in order to carry out the Kofi Annan Plan,” Lavrov stressed.
“Our position is not only sit and say we veto everything. Our position is active. We are really trying to search for ways to move forward,” the minister said, adding that foreign interference would be a catastrophe for the whole region.