Friends of Syria meet as conflict escalates

AMMAN: Backers of the Syrian uprising were to meet in Amman with the opposition yesterday to discuss a US-Russian proposal for peace talks, as the two-year conflict escalated close to the border with Lebanon.

“Today’s effort ... is part of a political path aimed at ending the violence and bloodshed,” Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told a joint news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague before the meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria group.

Judeh said the US-Russian proposal was a “turning point.” Earlier this month, the United States and Russia, which back opposite sides in the Syrian conflict, proposed a peace conference dubbed Geneva 2 to bring together rebels and representatives of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

“The humanitarian crisis underlines the urgency of reaching a political solution and a diplomatic breakthrough,” Hague said. Eleven top diplomats from Britain, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are attending the meeting.

After initial uncertainty, the acting head of Syria’s opposition National Coalition is to attend the Amman meeting and will be represented by its interim president George Sabra, coalition spokesman Soner Ahmed told AFP. “The Coalition received a late invitation and has confirmed its participation,” he said. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country does not take part in Friends of Syria meetings, was to host Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Muqdad for talks yesterday on the planned conference, Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency said. On the arms embargo on Syria, Hague said: “The decision we need to take in Europe in the next days is about the rules of this embargo. Decisions about sending lethal equipment (to the rebels) is a different matter.” He said the issue would be discussed with the opposition later yesterday. Ahead of Amman’s meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry was also to hold a news conference. “One of the things we’ll be talking about here in Amman... is what else needs to be done with respect to the military balance on the ground,” a top US official said, urging the Syrian opposition to unify ranks.— AFP