Russia, US convinced Geneva-2 should be held on Jan 22 – Russian Foreign Ministry

Russia and the United States share the opinion that it is necessary to hold the international conference on Syria in the time scheduled, on January 22, and consider military resolution in the Syrian conflict to be not viable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said following the Russian-US consultations on Syria, according to Voice of Russia.

“The necessity to activate efforts aimed at calling the international conference on Syria in the time set, on January 22, 2014, has been confirmed. It has been emphasized that the Syrian crisis resolution is solely in the political and diplomatic range. The attempts to achieve military resolutions are not viable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry posted a statement on its website on Friday following the meeting held in Moscow.

During the consultations “it was also indicated that the forum should give a start to direct inter-Syrian negotiations on the basis of the Geneva Communiqué, in which framework the Syrians themselves will solve the issues of their future form of government “.

“Russian representatives have focused on the importance of combining efforts of the government of Syria and of patriotic opposition in combating terrorist groups, which activity threatens not only the future of the SAR, but also the regional stability,” the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation has noted.

From the Russian side, the consultations were attended by Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov and Gennady Gatilov from the American side – by Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Ambassador at large Robert Ford.

According to the report, the participants of the consultations have noted that the forum aims to give a start to direct inter-Syrian negotiations on the basis of the Geneva Communiqué, in which framework the Syrians themselves will solve the issues of their future form of government.

M.D