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                Syrian Opposition Pledges to Attend Rome Summit

   by VOA News

   Syrian opposition leaders say they will attend an international
   conference in Rome this week, after considering a boycott because of
   what they deemed a lack of action by other nations to end the violence
   in Syria.
   In a statement on his Facebook page late Monday, Syrian National
   Coalition head Ahmed al-Khatib said his fellow opposition leaders had
   decided to stop their suspension of any visit to the Friends of Syria
   conference set for Thursday.
   U.S. Vice President Joe Biden welcomed the decision, saying the meeting
   is an important opportunity for the opposition to share its view of the
   crisis.  He told Khatib during a telephone call Monday that the
   conference will also be a way to discuss how to aid the opposition and
   the Syrian people.
   The White House says new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will also
   meet with opposition members.
   Kerry said Monday after talks in London with British Prime Minister
   David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague that the continued
   violence in Syria is evidence that President Bashar al-Assad needs to
   leave office.  He also condemned what he called the "indiscriminate
   killing" in "the strongest terms."
   Speaking alongside Kerry, Hague called for increased support for
   Syria's opposition, saying that "our policy cannot be static" in the
   face of the violence.  Hague said that in the coming weeks Britain
   would be pushing for a new package of assistance to support the Syrian
   National Coalition.
   In Moscow, Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said that the
   Syrian government is open to dialogue with those who want to take part.
   Russia's Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying "we are ready for
   dialogue with everyone who wants it...even with those who have weapons
   in their hands, because we believe that reforms will not come through
   bloodshed but only through dialogue."
   The foreign minister met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov,
   who said last week there is no military solution to the Syrian crisis
   and that continued fighting between rebels and government forces will
   lead to "mutual destruction."
   Meanwhile, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch accused the Syrian government
   of launching four "unlawful" missile attacks in Aleppo last week that
   killed more than 140 people.  The group said it visited the sites -
   three of which were in opposition-controlled areas - and found no signs
   of military targets in the area.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/lavrov-hosts-syrian-foreign-minister-
   for-crisis-talks/1610087.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/lavrov-hosts-syrian-foreign-minister-for-crisis-talks/1610087.html