1 Oct 2013 14:18

Lavrov: Syrian armed opposition except for terrorists may attend Geneva II

MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - The Syrian armed opposition may be represented at the Geneva II international peace conference for Syria on certain conditions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

"I do not rule out the possibility that the armed opposition might participate, as long as its viewpoint is not extremist or terrorist," he said.

Lavrov recalled a similar statement by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. "The ball is in the court of those who exert more influence on the opposition than we do," he stressed.

"We are interacting with everyone, but our Western colleagues and key countries in the region mostly have influence on the opposition," he said.