US Decision to Arm Terrorist Groups in Syria Undermines Geneva 2 Talks, Says Syrian Official Delegation’s Statement
GENEVA,(ST)_Delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Geneva 2 -Conference has proposed a draft statement censuring the United States’ decision to resume arming the terrorist groups operating in the country.
The statement, which was proposed during today’s morning session between the UN Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi and the Syrian official delegation and the ‘opposition coalition’, appealed to the US and other countries that provide terrorists with weapons to stop doing that.
‘Irresponsible’ decision
It described arming terrorists as ‘irresponsible’ act, stressing that it will undermine the Geneva 2 conference and will foil efforts exerted to guarantee the success of the conference.
The statement made it clear that the US decision contradicts the Geneva I Communiqué which calls, in its first clause, to end violence and terrorism. It noted that the Geneva 2 conference is being held according to the US-Russian initiative based on the Geneva communiqué.
“The world was surprised by the decision adopted by the US- which is one of the two parties of the initiative- and the timing of the decision,” the statement read, adding that the provocative decision of the US violates the UN resolution No.1373.
It cited that everyone knows that the US weapons end up in the hands of the blacklisted terrorist groups, such as “the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, al-Nusra Front and the Islamic Front”.
Coalition rejects political solution
The statement proposed by the official delegation was rejected by the ‘opposition coalition’ delegation.
Sources close to the Syrian official delegation were quoted on the official news agency as saying: “the rejection of the statement stresses that the coalition delegation is unserious and it doesn’t want a political solution.”
They also see that the US military support for gunmen in Syria fuels violence and terrorism and means a retreat from the political solution.
Basma Qaddour