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Foreign powers can only help bring the parties to the Syrian conflict to the negotiating table

Foreign Ministry: Russia-U.S. interaction on Syria proves difficulty to create common mechanisms
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS
Photo EPA/ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, October 23 (Itar-Tass) - The Syrian National Coalition should participate in the negotiations, spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Aleksander Lukashevich said here on Wednesday in comments on the results of a meeting in London of the so-called ‘core’ of the Group of Friends of Syria.

However, “we proceed from the assumption that the parameters of this participation should be proportionate to its influence in the Syrian society and its role not only abroad, but primarily inside Syria,” he added. “There are no reasons to say that the coalition is ‘the only legitimate representative’ of the Syrian people, but even the whole opposition,” the Russian diplomat stated.

Lukashevich also said that foreign powers “can only help bring the parties to the Syrian conflict to the negotiating table and settle organizational issues."

“The problems of the essence of Syrian settlement can be overcome only by the Syrians themselves, through the search for mutual accord and without imposing any recipes from outside,” the diplomat noted.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russian-U.S. interaction on Syria proves that it is difficult to create common mechanisms of global control, 

Speaking at a solemn meeting devoted to the 70th anniversary of the 1943 Moscow Conference on Wednesday, Lavrov said this task could be carried out.

“At present, the world revives a very difficult period due to global challenges. Only joint efforts will help us respond to them adequately,” the minister said.

“I believe that in order to realise this truth there is no need to wait for the events to be similar to those that happened 70 years ago. We have all chances to raise the level of historical responsibility and work out the effective mechanisms of global control in the 21st century,” Lavrov said.