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Syria accuses the UN of obstructing peace talks

May 4, 2014 at 10:15 am

The Syrian Foreign Ministry yesterday accused the United Nations envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi of obstructing the Geneva II peace talks between the regime and opposition forces.


Syria’s state news agency SANA reported a Foreign Ministry statement saying that the Syrian regime refuses to allow any third party to interfere in its plans to hold presidential elections citing the resolution a “sovereign decision”.

“If these countries, led by Western countries claim to respect democracy, freedom and transparency, they should respect the Syrian people’s choice through ballot boxes,” the statement said.

Brahimi told the Security Council in March that if the presidential elections were to take place in Syria they would stop negotiations aimed at bringing an end to the three year conflict. He explained the opposition parties would refuse to return to the negotiating table if President Bashar Al-Assad were to be chosen for a new term.

The UN slammed the Syrian regime’s plans to hold presidential elections in Syria this summer during which Al-Assad is expected to win a new term saying the move hinders peace efforts in Syria.

The European Union expressed deep regret following the Syrian regime’s decision and said that the elections will lack credibility as the bloodshed continues.

The United States said on Monday that the elections were “a parody of democracy” stressing that they “lack credibility and legitimacy both inside and outside Syria”.

Source: Al-Ghad