Geneva II Conference to Prioritize Anti-Terrorism Fight in Syria, Mideast

MOSCOW – The fight against terrorism in Syria and the Middle East will be one of the key issues at the Geneva II Peace Conference, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the Russian Federation Council, upper house of parliament, on Wednesday, according to Itar Tass News Agency.

 “It seems to me the international community agrees that the fight against terrorism is one of the priority issues, which will be on the agenda of the Geneva II Peace Conference due to take place in Montreux on January 22, 2014,” the minister said.

Commenting on the recent attack on peaceful civilians in the Syrian town of Adra, he said, “Terrorist internationalism is putting down roots in Syria.”

 “Terrorist groups, which are not linked with Al Qaeda, have a serious impact on the situation. These groups are now posing the most serious threat in Syria and in the Middle East as a whole,” Lavrov said.

 “It would be very useful for the Syrian government and the opposition to unite in order to fight terrorism. The terrorist threat is the main obstacle to settle the situation in Syria,” he

Russia honors all effective contacts with Syria

All effective contracts between Russia and Syria, including those in the sphere of military-technical cooperation are being honored, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

 “In particular, this concerns the contracts for economic interaction between Russia and Syria,” Lavrov said.

Elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons runs at full speed

According to the Voice of Russia, Lavrov said that the process of eliminating Syria’s chemical weapons runs at full speed in compliance with the schedule.

“Now the second stage, which requires consolidation of many countries’ efforts, begins,” he said, recalling that the main parameters of the second stage were approved at the meeting of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Tuesday, Lavrov added.

Progress noticed on Syrian, Iranian tracks

In another context, Lavrov said that progress has been noticed on the Syrian and Iranian tracks based on common sense and collective political and diplomatic actions.

“Since the very beginning Russia has insisted the Syrian conflict be settled through dialogue with the respect of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the minister said.

Russia “seeks to contribute to the political settlement in Syria”, he said, adding “We’re working hard to convene the Geneva II Peace Conference. The unification of the Syrian opposition would facilitate this.”

“Our consistent position helped take decisions and launch the efforts aimed at putting chemical weapons in Syria under international control in order to eliminate them in the future,” Lavrov said.

He added that the closure of issues related to Iran’s nuclear program should lead to reconsidering the U.S. concept on European missile defense, Lavrov said.

“The resolution of Iran’s nuclear problem will allow us to ground the need to create missile defense in Europe,” the minister said.

H.Mustafa