Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign and Expatriates Minister Walid al-Mouallem met with the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday on efforts to hold the international peace talks on Syria. dubbed "Geneva 2".
Mouallem, who heads the Syrian official delegation at the talks told Ban the priority at the talks should be combating the terrorism in Syria at the hands of armed terrorist groups which receive foreign funding, arming, and training. He said foreign countries were also facilitate the entry of extremist fighters from over 83 countries into Syria, adding that addressing the problem would give credibility to any political process aiming to resolve the crisis.
He said he hoped that Geneva II will present a platform for dialogue among Syrians in Syria and allow them to reach agreement on the future of their country.
Mouallem said that the success of inter-Syrian dialogue requires ensuring that the Syrian opposition and all components of Syrian society are represented in this dialogue to guarantee results meet the aspirations and expectations of the Syrian people.
The minister said that the U.N. invited only a single group claiming to represent the opposition, when in fact it represents none of the Syrian people, in addition to countries well known for their positions against Syria. he said recanting the invitation of Iran was not productive and was a mistake on the part of ban which should be corrected.
For his part, Ban reiterated the importance of the Syrian official delegation's participation in the conference and its work to contribute in a positive manner to launching dialogue among all Syrian sides in order to reach a political solution meeting the aspirations of the Syrian people.
Ban asserted that the Syrian people are the ones who will decide upon their country's future.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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