Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov reported today that Russian diplomats have started practical preparations for a new international conference on a settlement of the Syrian conflict, 'Geneva-3'. The Deputy Minister clarified that, just like 'Geneva-2', the new round of talks between the Damascus authorities and the opposition will last as long as necessary.
"It should be understood that 'Geneva-3' - is not a one-off event, it is also a negotiating process, which requires political will, endurance and time. We think that such a conference deserves support, and we have started practical work on preparations for 'Geneva- 3'," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
The main objective is to try to consolidate all the influential opposition forces in a constructive platform, which fully reflects the views of wide circles of the opposition and at the same time meets the main goal – the implementation of the Geneva communique. This platform should be the general approach of the opposition in future negotiations with the Government of Syria in the frameworks of 'Geneva-3'," Mikhail Bogdanov concluded.
Bogdanov noted that the results of meetings of the Syrian opposition in Moscow and Cairo will become the platform for 'Geneva-3', and spoke about the progress of the dialogue. "There were two productive and informative meetings in Cairo, contacts in Brussels, Astana. Now there is the idea to combine these dialogue processes to find a place and time, so that the participants of the said meetings could meet together," the diplomat said.
The Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Association of Russian diplomats, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Andrei Baklanov, in an interview with a correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza stressed that at 'Geneva-3' the discussions will be about how to "restart efforts to bring their positions closer and how to transfer the course of events from the return to force usage scenario into political and diplomatic formats. "This is the main thing. There has been no improvement in the situation since 'Geneva-2', there has been something else: the current very explosive situation provokes the need for new attempts, which, in fact, we are going to do in the near future," he said, adding that the process of organizing the conference will be long.
