"If we imagine a Syria whose leadership is responsible for 130,000 casualties, then the country will remain like this forever"
By Ali Ünal
Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs increased its diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian conflict prior to the second round of peace talks, Geneva II, due to start on Jan 24 at the United Nations headquarters in Switzerland. The summit is expected to facilitate negotiations between Bashar al-Assad's government and members of the Syrian opposition. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu held a conference call with US Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from the Friends of Syria Core Group countries, commonly known as the London XI.
According to a senior Foreign Ministry official, Davutoglu reiterated Turkey's continued commitment to humanitarian aid to the Syrian population and discussed recent developments as well as ongoing preparations for the Friends of Syria Core Group meeting to be held in Paris next week.
The Paris meeting will bring together representatives of the Syrian opposition with foreign policy officials from key countries including the United States, France and Turkey in order to discuss the roadmap for the Geneva II summit. One of the major issues at the upcoming Geneva II summit will be the future role of Iran, a leading supporter of the Assad regime, whose participation at the conference is still pending approval.
Despite the international community's overall optimism about a diplomatic solution, the Syrian opposition remains sceptical about negotiating with the Assad regime. Opposition groups face heavy pressure from Turkey and others to participate in the Geneva II talks which represent the most serious diplomatic step yet to conclude the Syrian conflict.
Commenting on the Syrian crisis at a press conference in Tokyo on
Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government hopes that Geneva II will mark the end of the Assad era in Syria. "If we imagine a Syria whose leadership is responsible for 130,000 casualties, then the country will remain like this forever," Erdogan added.
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