Kerry Urges Syria Opposition to Talk to Al-Assad

Local Editor

US Secretary of State, John Kerry stressed Wednesday that his country seeks to bring the Syrian leadership and the opposition to the negotiating table.
"We aim of forming a transitional government within the framework reached in Geneva," Kerry stated in a press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth held on Tuesday.
According to the head of Washington's diplomacy, "Geneva Statement requires a mutual consent by both sides to from a transitional government."

"A Syrian opposition that is ready for cooperation must come to the negotiation table...We are working on this, and we will continue our work," he added, and reiterated: "We want to stop the killing. And they want to stop the killing. The world wants to stop the killing."

In parallel, Kerry indicated that Washington will continue to pressurize the "Syrian opposition to guarantee the unity of its ranks."
"Forming a transitional government in Syria doesn't only require changing the calculations of the Syrian government, but it also requires reaching more accord between the opposition forces," he said.

For his party, the Norwegian Foreign Minister avoided answering a question on whether his country supports supplying the armed groups in Syria with weapons as Britain does.

"At least until today we haven't supported the idea of arming the opposition," he said, asserting that his country's stance and the US stance are identical.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org