FM: Geneva-2 decisions should be result of Syrian accord, cannot be imposed

MOSCOW, January 16. /ITAR-TASS/. Decisions that will be taken at Geneva peace talks on Syria should be the result of accord between the parties to Syrian armed crisis and cannot be imposed by negotiators, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Thursday over a visit by Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Moscow on January 17. “Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will have detailed talks with him,” the Russian ministry reported.

“The foreign ministers will focus on preparation to an international peace conference on Syria dubbed Geneva-2, which is due to convene in the Swiss city of Montreux on January 22,” the Russian diplomatic agency reported. “The conference should provide for the launch of inter-Syrian dialogue involving representative delegations of Syrian government and opposition on the basis of the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012 without preconditions.” “Decisions that will be taken at forthcoming Geneva talks should be the result of accord between the parties to Syrian armed crisis and cannot be imposed by negotiators,” the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

“Syrian government has already confirmed that they will participate in Geneva-2 and named the composition of its delegation at the forum,” the ministry reported. “Unfortunately Syrian oppositionists have not done this yet. We hope to learn soon about an accord of opposition, with which our U.S. partners are working actively,” the ministry said.

“The convening of an international conference on Syria at the scheduled date is highly important, but the forum is not a goal in itself,” the ministry noted. “It is important that from the very beginning and even before the start Geneva talks will promote positive change in the situation on Syrian soil, diminishing mishaps and sufferings of Syrian people and bringing down the level of violence.” “In this regard, we intend jointly with American partners and the U.N. to work intensively for Syrian government and opposition to take several concrete humanitarian steps to shape favorable atmosphere before the conference,” the Foreign Ministry noted. “This is conclusion of local ceasefires, exchange of prisoners of war and convicts and free access to relief supplies in the districts blocked by governmental forces and armed opposition,” the ministry said.

“The problems of fulfilling U.N. Security Council Resolution 2118 and Russia’s practical assistance in implementing Syria’s chemical disarmament plan with the focus on overcoming current difficulties in this process will be raised at talks in Moscow with Walid Muallem,” the ministry said.

“Actual aspects of Russian-Syrian relations and Russia’s further humanitarian aid to armed crisis-affected Syrian citizens are traditionally put on the agenda,” the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.