A foreign ministry source said that any preconditions imposed on the Geneva II talks will lead to the failure of the conference, planned for 22 January, 2014.
The statement from the ministry followed a meeting of the "Friends of Syria" – a U.S. led coalition of countries opposed to Assad – held in Paris, during which the head of the Syrian National Coalition Ahmad Jarba insisted Bashar Assad can have no role in the future of Syria.
"Whoever tries to impose conditions ahead of Geneva II, and tries to treat these conditions as if they are reality, has already decised on the failure of the conference before it starts", the source said.
The source said Damascus had already agreed to attend the conference without preconditions, and stressed that the Syrian people are the only ones who can decide who will lead them and on the form of the state.
The source said that the Syrian Arab Republic had repeatedly said that dialogue between the Syrian people is the only solution.
As for those who try to impose preconditions, the ministry said they are attemptong to treat visions, dreams or illusions as fact, in contradiction to the charter of the United Nations and the international legitimacy.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
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