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| US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media at the State Department in Washington, D.C., May 20, 2013. |
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Jordan to meet with U.S. allies
and Syrian opposition figures for talks aimed at building support for a
proposed Syria peace conference next month.
Kerry arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday, ahead of the meeting of top diplomats from the United States and 10 other Western and Arab nations who call themselves the "Friends of Syria." Senior members of the main opposition Syrian National Coalition also were due to attend.
One of the main items on the agenda is a U.S.-Russian proposal to bring the Syrian government and opposition together next month for talks on a political solution to Syria's two-year conflict. It is not yet clear whether the Syrian government and opposition would attend, whom they would send to represent them and where the talks would take place.
Kerry arrived in the Jordanian capital Amman on Wednesday, ahead of the meeting of top diplomats from the United States and 10 other Western and Arab nations who call themselves the "Friends of Syria." Senior members of the main opposition Syrian National Coalition also were due to attend.
One of the main items on the agenda is a U.S.-Russian proposal to bring the Syrian government and opposition together next month for talks on a political solution to Syria's two-year conflict. It is not yet clear whether the Syrian government and opposition would attend, whom they would send to represent them and where the talks would take place.
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| British Foreign Secretary William Hague speaks as Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh (R) listens during their joint news conference before a meeting of the Friends of Syria alliance in Amman, May 22, 2013. |
In a news conference ahead of the meeting, British Foreign Secretary
William Hague said a date for the peace conference should be set in the
next few days given the need to end what he called "appalling violence"
in Syria.
Syrian ambassador to Jordan Bahjat Suleiman denounced the Amman gathering. In remarks to reporters, he accused the 11-nation "Friends of Syria" of waging a terrorist war against Damascus on behalf of Israel.
Hague warned that if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refuses to negotiate, it will end up presiding over what he called the "complete collapse of their country."
"If the regime were to think they can just win a military victory and somehow go back to whatever was normal before, I think they will be making a terrible error, a catastrophic error. They need a political solution, whatever the circumstances on the ground at the time," Hague said.
Dependency
Hague also said the Assad government is "increasingly dependent" on support from key foreign allies Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. He said that support represents a growing threat to regional security and heightens the urgency of Syrian peace talks.
In a statement, Syrian National Coalition acting chief George Sabra appealed to Syrian rebels across the country to send reinforcements to the central town of Qusair to "rescue" it from what he called "foreign invaders."
Opposition activists have accused Hezbollah militants and Iranians of fighting alongside Syrian security forces who intensified an offensive to oust rebels from Qusair earlier this week.
Sabra also urged the Lebanese government to stop Hezbollah militants from crossing into Syria to join the battle. The Assad government wants to retake Qusair because it lies along a key highway linking Damascus to the Mediterranean coast and is close to rebel smuggling routes along the Lebanese border.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, speaking alongside Hague in Amman, said the suffering of the Syrian people must stop. He also said Jordan needs help to address its humanitarian pressures from hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
Syrian ambassador to Jordan Bahjat Suleiman denounced the Amman gathering. In remarks to reporters, he accused the 11-nation "Friends of Syria" of waging a terrorist war against Damascus on behalf of Israel.
Hague warned that if the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad refuses to negotiate, it will end up presiding over what he called the "complete collapse of their country."
"If the regime were to think they can just win a military victory and somehow go back to whatever was normal before, I think they will be making a terrible error, a catastrophic error. They need a political solution, whatever the circumstances on the ground at the time," Hague said.
Dependency
Hague also said the Assad government is "increasingly dependent" on support from key foreign allies Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. He said that support represents a growing threat to regional security and heightens the urgency of Syrian peace talks.
In a statement, Syrian National Coalition acting chief George Sabra appealed to Syrian rebels across the country to send reinforcements to the central town of Qusair to "rescue" it from what he called "foreign invaders."
Opposition activists have accused Hezbollah militants and Iranians of fighting alongside Syrian security forces who intensified an offensive to oust rebels from Qusair earlier this week.
Sabra also urged the Lebanese government to stop Hezbollah militants from crossing into Syria to join the battle. The Assad government wants to retake Qusair because it lies along a key highway linking Damascus to the Mediterranean coast and is close to rebel smuggling routes along the Lebanese border.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, speaking alongside Hague in Amman, said the suffering of the Syrian people must stop. He also said Jordan needs help to address its humanitarian pressures from hosting hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees.
The United Nations estimates the Syrian civil war has forced one million
Syrian civilians into makeshift camps on the borders of Jordan, Lebanon
and Turkey.
The issue of Iran's role in the proposed Syrian peace conference has divided the United States and Russia. Moscow has said Iran should take part, while the United States has opposed Iranian involvement in such talks in the past.
U.S. officials have said no delegations have been ruled in or out of the conference. France said last week that it does not want Iran to be involved.
Latest images from Syria :
The issue of Iran's role in the proposed Syrian peace conference has divided the United States and Russia. Moscow has said Iran should take part, while the United States has opposed Iranian involvement in such talks in the past.
U.S. officials have said no delegations have been ruled in or out of the conference. France said last week that it does not want Iran to be involved.
Latest images from Syria :
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows people gathered by houses that were destroyed in an air strike in Qusair, Homs province, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
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| This citizen journalism image provided by Qusair Lens shows a man checking his house that was damaged by an air strike, Qusair, Homs, Syria, May 21, 2013. |
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-to-address-syrian-opposition-supporters/1665811.html
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