Russia Conference Aimed at Forcing US to End Support for Terrorists in Syria

A key opposition leader in Syria threw his weight behind a recent Russian proposal to hold an international conference on the Syrian crisis, saying that the move is an effort to exert pressure on the US and some Arab states to stop their growing financial and arms support for terrorists in Syria.

Russia has recently called for a meeting in Moscow or Geneva with the participation of Iran, the US and other regional and international heavyweights to find a political solution to the current crisis in Syria.

Speaking to FNA on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Syrian Social Nationalist Party Ali Haidar voiced support for the Russian initiative and other international gatherings which aim to resolve the crisis in Syria, saying such moves promote transparent interaction in opposition to interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

Asked if the presence of the US and Saudi Arabia in the Russian conference would mean an end to their support for terrorist groups, Haidar said, “No doubt, the international conference in Russia and formation of a contact group will be in line with the pressures exerted on these countries to make them stop their arms supports and other forms of backups for armed elements in Syria.”

He said a political solution to the Syrian crisis is unlikely before the US presidential elections due to be held this autumn as US President Barack Obama is seeking hard to maintain the Zionist lobbies’ support for the upcoming elections.

According to a proposal circulated at the UN headquarters last week, Russia said that an international conference on Syria would initially consolidate the “potential of external players” for the sake of the political settlement of the Syrian crisis, and if it succeeds, further meetings will be held to negotiate various aspects of the settlement in a “more substantive way”.

The purpose of the proposed conference is to negotiate practical steps aimed at finding a viable political solution to the Syrian crisis, encourage key external players who may exert real influence on various Syrian parties to take coherent measures in support of the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan, and ensure full implementation of Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043.

The conference, to be held at the “earliest possible date” in Moscow or Geneva, would be attended by the foreign ministers of the five permanent UN Security Council members – the US, the UK, France, Russia, and China – as well as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, along with the UN, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union representatives.

The Syrian Government and the opposition may join the conference at a later stage, the paper said.