France: Success of Syria peace talks hangs on ending starvation of civilians

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said it was not possible to confirm if a UN sponsored peace conference scheduled for 25 January between the Syrian opposition and regime will take place.

“It would be very difficult for the moderate opposition to participate in the negotiations in the very moment when they are bombed,” he said.

The French minister called on the Assad government to put an end to starving and bombing the Syrians as a goodwill measure ahead of the meeting saying: “Bashar Al-Assad is responsible for the killing of thousands of Syrians and the displacement of millions from Syria.”

“Bashar Al-Assad cannot be a party to the future of Syria,” he said, adding that “the success of the Geneva negotiations depends on stopping shelling and starvation.”