International conference to solve Syria crisis may be held in July: Brahimi

UN-Arab League Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi says an international conference to solve the crisis in Syria may be held in July.

“We have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to hold this conference in June. We will be continuing our consultations with Russia and the United States to see about windows of opportunity to hold the conference as soon as possible — hopefully in July,” Brahimi said at a news conference after holding preparatory talks with delegations from the United Nations, US, and Russia in Geneva on Wednesday.

The peace talks had originally been planned to be held in June.

“The goal of the conference will be to achieve a political solution to the conflict in Syria through a comprehensive agreement between the government of Syria and the Syrian oppositions,” Brahimi said, adding that another preparatory meeting would be held on June 25.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry renewed Moscow’s call for the participation of Iran in the talks.

“This is a matter of principle because the composition of the conference should be balanced,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told the ITAR-TASS news agency.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of soldiers and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies, such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants.

In an interview broadcast on Turkish television in April, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that if the militants take power in Syria, they could destabilize the entire Middle East region for decades.

“If the unrest in Syria leads to the partitioning of the country, or if the terrorist forces take control… the situation will inevitably spill over into neighboring countries and create a domino effect throughout the Middle East and beyond,” he stated.