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               Russia: Syria Agrees to Participate in Conference

   by VOA News

   Russia says the Syrian government has agreed in principle to attend
   aproposed international peace conference on the country's future.
   A spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry said Friday that Syria has
   agreed to participate in the conference that Russia and the U.S. have
   proposed next month in Geneva. But he said it is impossible to set a
   date yet because it is not clear yet who will speak for the Syrian
   opposition.
   On Thursday, a prominent Syrian opposition figure proposed a transition
   plan for the war-torn country, requiring President Bashar al-Assad to
   hand power to a senior aide and leave the country. The outgoing head of
   the main opposition Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib,
   published the plan on his Facebook page Thursday.
   The Syrian National Coalition is considering whether to support the
   U.S.-Russian initiative calling for the opposition and the government
   to attend a peace conference in June to resolve their two-year
   conflict.
   Khatib's plan would give Assad 20 days to accept its terms and another
   month to dissolve parliament and transfer all of his powers to Syrian
   Vice President Faruq al-Shara or Prime Minister Wael al-Halki.
   One of them would then lead an interim government for 100 days, during
   which the Syrian military would have to be restructured. A Syrian
   transitional government formed with international guarantees would then
   take over.
   The proposal also calls for the Syrian government to release all
   political prisoners. It indicates a willingness by some Syrian
   opposition figures to work with government officials deemed not to have
   played a direct role in Assad's deadly crackdown on dissent.
   The Syrian government had no immediate reaction to Khatib's plan. But
   Assad has vowed to remain in the office that he inherited from his late
   father in 2000. He also has expressed a determination to run for
   re-election next year.
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   -conference/1667418.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/russia-syria-agrees-to-participate-in-conference/1667418.html