Russian FM hopes US will clarify its position on Syria next week

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hopes that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will clarify Washington’s stance on Syria at a meeting in Brunei on July 1-2.

“The meeting with John Kerry will be held on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit on 1-2 July in Brunei,” Lavrov said ,according to Voice of Russia, TASS.

“We expect more clarity as to what is the U.S. position with respect to our joint initiative on Syria [Geneva II Conference]”, the Minister added.

Unfortunately, however, at this stage, there is no way to offer a specific date for the conference, Lavrov continued.

“It is clear that for now we do not see the possibility to offer a specific date for the conference. First of all, this is because the opposition is not ready at all to participate in it without its ‘preconditions’. In this respect we rely on the efforts of our Western partners, especially the U.S.”, Lavrov asserted.

The Russian FM also noted that the “National Coalition’, which is trying to persuade Russian counterparts in the West, is not the only representative of the ‘opposition”. There is also opposition inside Syria: the National Coordination Committee, the Supreme Council of the Kurds.

“They also need to be represented in the dialogue”, Lavrov said.

“Of course, foreign players must be invited to take part in the talks, especially the neighbors of Syria. Iran, a country which along with other Gulf countries has the most real and direct impact on the situation that is unfolding in Syria, also has to have a voice during the conference,” Lavrov concluded.

M.D