UN meeting on Syrian crisis starts in Geneva

The talks on a way to resolve the increasingly bloody conflict in Syria started in Geneva hosted by the United Nations at its European headquarters.

Representatives of global and regional powers along with legions of diplomats from five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council – Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. – and envoys from Europe, Turkey and three Arab countries representing groups within the Arab League arrived at the elegant and sprawling Palais des Nations.

The meeting is expected to focus on a proposal by Annan on political transition. The proposal’s content is not fully known, but Russia earlier declared that it would not endorse any plan that calls for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation. The Syrian opposition groups, on the other hand, said they will reject Annan’s plan unless it explicitly calls for Assad’s departure.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is likely to raise the issue of the downing by Syria of one of Turkey’s military jets in the Mediterranean Sea, during a weekend meeting of major world powers and regional countries in Geneva, according to sources close to the matter.

Turkey had notified the UN Security Council of the incident and called for NATO talks under Article 4 of the alliance’s charter. It also said any Syrian military move on the border will be considered a direct threat. <Cihan/Todayz Zaman>

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