You're reading: Moscow against ‘preconditions’ for seeking end to Syria crisis

Moscow - A senior Russian diplomat had a meeting in Moscow on Friday with a Syrian government delegation and during it reaffirmed Moscow's line that the conflict in Syria must be settled through "a broad political dialogue without any preconditions," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“Our conviction was stated that decisions on the future of Syria as a
democratic, unified sovereign and independent state must be made by the
Syrians themselves through a broad political dialogue without any
preconditions as prescribed by decisions of the UN Security Council,”
the ministry said in a report on the meeting between First Deputy
Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov and the Syrian delegation, led by Deputy
Prime Minister Qadri Jamil.

“Denisov stressed the need for an immediate end to bloodshed and the
suffering of the population in Syria,” the report said. “He emphasized
the importance of consolidated efforts by the international community
and all the parties to the Syrian conflict for the achievement of this
aim.”

“Jamil praised the Russian line that the settlement of the Syrian
crisis must be based on the implementation by all the parties of Kofi
Annan’s plan and the decisions evolved by the Action Group for Syria in
Geneva on June 30,” the ministry said.