Moscow, SANA – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday said that Russia doesn’t set deadlines for resolving the crisis in Syria, stressing the need for efforts in this regard to be based on reality.
In a press conference, Lavrov said that the participants in the inter-Syrian talks round currently being held in Moscow have expanded compared to the first round held in January, with more opposition figures participating this time.
He said that Russia isn’t pleased that the “coalition” refused once more to send representatives, and that this refusal is motivated by special considerations for the coalition’s leaders.
Lavrov said that Russia’s efforts aren’t based on the idea of setting on group of the opposition as a principal group; rather it’s based on reality to realize the points agreed upon in June 2012 and in the first Geneva conference, which means involving all elements of the Syrian community in comprehensive dialogue.
The meetings of the second round of inter-Syrian talks began today in Moscow, with the first two days of the meetings being dedicated to meetings among opposition figures, and on Wednesday the opposition will meet the Syrian Arab Republic delegation headed by Syria’s Permanent Representative at the UN Bashar al-Jaafari.
Hazem Sabbagh
