Syria Wants Details on Proposed Peace Conference
Syria wants more details of a Russian and U.S. proposal for a peace conference before deciding whether to attend, Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi has said.
Interviewed late Tuesday by the Lebanese Al-Manar television, Zohbi also insisted that Syrian President Bashar Assad's future would be decided at the ballot box.
Syria's participation in the conference "is tied to details" on the gathering, which was called for last week by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Zohbi said.
He said the foreign ministry was trying to find out more about the proposed conference, but said Syria would not discuss the departure of Assad, a key opposition demand.
"The ones who decide who is president of the country, what form the government takes and how internal processes are carried out are the Syrian people and the ballot box," he said.
"We will not allow anyone to impose conditions on us... that affect the principle of sovereignty," he added.
"The presidency is to be discussed exclusively between Syrians."
The Syrian opposition is set to meet later this month to decide whether it will attend any new international conference on the conflict, but has said any resolution to the fighting must involve Assad's departure.
The proposed peace conference is expected to build on a deal agreed in Geneva last year that called for a halt to the fighting and the formation of a transitional government, but did not call for Assad to step down.
Source: Agence France Presse
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