Syrian ‘Coalition’ Rejects G8 Call to Fight Qaeda

While the G8 summit called Wednesday upon the Syrian authorities and the Syrian opposition to work together in order to Al-Qaeda organization followers, the so-called ‘Syrian National Coalition’ rejected to fight Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra front terrorist group, despite videos it posts on YouTube showing its brutal criminality towards the innocent people of Syria.

In a statement it issued, the opposition coalition said that “Assad regime is the only source of terrorism in Syria,” and that “efforts of all countries must serve to fight the regime alone, in order to achieve a lasting peace in Syria.”

In the meantime, Moscow has also recalled Wednesday upon the Western countries to put pressure on the Syrian opposition to participate in the Geneva II without preconditions.

However, a French Foreign Ministry official said that “there should be response to the opposition need to re-balance power on ground.”

“The situation on the ground is insistent after restoring al-Qusayr and due to the threats faced by Aleppo, Damascus outskirts and the southern part of the country,” he added.

In turn, the opposition gunmen tried to open a new front against the Syrian forces to relieve pressure on other fronts in Damascus, Aleppo and Homs.

For its part, the opposing UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other opponents reported the Syrian troops took control of the town near the Sayyeda Zeinab (as) district in Damascus, while operations continue to control another town.

In another context, the US State Department announced that John Kerry will begin a tour on Friday that will include Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, the Zionist entity, India and the Sultanate of Brunei.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennadiy Gatilov reiterated in an interview with the local Itar-Tass news agency that “Russia’s Western partners should force the Syrian opposition to engage in peace negotiations.”

He added that “Moscow is working to persuade the Syrian authorities to adopt a serious attitude regarding participation in the Geneva II, but we do not intend to force the Syrian government to engage in any negotiations if their results were predetermined.”

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.