Russian government promotes dialogue with Syrian opposition

Prensa Latina

The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, reiterated on Wednesday (11th) the call of his country since the beginning for a dialogue between the government and opposition in Syria, to meet here with a delegation from the so-called the Syrian National Council (SNC).

"We wanted to know how far it is possible to unite all the opposition forces to enter talks with the government of President Bashar al-Assad, as stipulated in the six-point plan of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan," said Lavrov.

"In also supporting the plan of the Special Envoy of the Arab League and UN on Syria, we pronounce ourselves in favor of the immediate cessation of all violence by all parties," explained the head of Russian diplomacy.

Besides, we pronounce ourselves in favor of a dialogue with the participation of the Syrian Executive and all the opposition groups, during which the Syrians themselves determine the fate of their country, including dates and parameters of a transition process, he said.

Lavrov declared that despite previous encounters with the said opposition group, now headed by Abdel Basset Seid, he once again wanted to explain Russia's position as "sometimes in the SNC new interlocutors appear," he underlined.

"We wish to clarify our position and to erase any doubt.  It is interesting to us to know and obtain a reading of the relations between the opposing factions of the SNC and the links with other groups of this nature," Lavrov pointed out to start the meeting at the chancellery.

Russia has received visits and exchanges in recent months, both representatives of the Syrian government and the so-called "opposition" of the Levantine nation, where armed terrorist groups, supplied and funded from abroad, are determined to maintain a dispute with the Syrian administration.

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa Karpova
Pravda.Ru