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                 Kerry Says Syria Peace Talks Expected in June

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he expects Syria`s government
   and the main opposition coalition to attend a peace conference in early
   June, with the goal of ending their two-year conflict.
   Speaking on a visit to Stockholm, Kerry said Tuesday that the Syrian
   government has given the names of potential negotiators to Russia, a
   longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
   Russia and the United States agreed last week to try to arrange the
   peace talks despite their sharp disagreements about whether Mr. Assad
   should have a role in Syria`s future. Washington has long insisted that
   Mr. Assad should step down for leading a deadly crackdown on dissent.
   Kerry said diplomacy is under way to try to stage the conference, whose
   location has not been confirmed. Jordanian officials said Western and
   Arab nations opposing Mr. Assad will hold a "Friends of Syria" meeting
   in Amman next week to discuss the process.
   The top U.S. diplomat also warned Mr. Assad not to boycott the talks,
   saying that would be a "miscalculation" that would lead to the
   opposition receiving "additional support" from its allies.
   Earlier Tuesday, Syrian state media quoted Information Minister Omran
   al-Zoubi as saying the government needs more details before making a
   decision on whether to participate in the conference.
   He also said Syria will not take part in any dialogue that infringes on
   its sovereignty and insisted that Mr. Assad`s fate is a matter only for
   the Syrian people to decide at the ballot box.
   Russian President Vladimir Putin said it is extremely important for all
   parties to avoid actions that could aggravate the situation in Syria.
   He made the comment after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
   Netanyahu Tuesday in the Russian resort of Sochi.
   Prior to the talks, Mr. Netanyahu said he wants to work with Russia to
   make the Middle East more stable and secure.
   Israel and the United States have expressed concern about potential
   Russian sales of advanced anti-aircraft weapons to Syria, which would
   complicate potential Israeli or Western air strikes against President
   Bashar al-Assad`s forces.
   Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week his government is
   completing arms sales to Syria under existing contracts, but he did not
   say if advanced S-300 missile batteries were included.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-says-syria-peace-talks-expected-in-june/1660653.html