Syria to participate in Geneva II conference

DAMASCUS - Syria will send a delegation to the Geneva II peace conference which aims to resolve its crisis, despite the West's statements that say its president should have no role in the transitional period, Syrian foreign ministry said Wednesday.

"Syria reiterates that it will take part in the conference through an official delegation that represents the state and provided with directives from President Bashar al-Assad and the demands of the people, mainly the elimination of terrorism," the foreign ministry said.

The ministry blasted statements by world powers, mainly France and Britain, that recently said Assad has no role in Syria's transitional period, saying: "We will remind those (states) that the colonial ages has ended long ago and they should awake from their dreams, but if they insist on these illusions, there would be no reason for them to attend the Geneva II because our people will never allow anyone to steal their exclusive right to determine their future and leadership."

Syria's delegation will not go to Geneva to "hand over the power," but to find a political solution for the future of Syria, the ministry stressed, in response to growing international criticism urging Assad to step down in light of the bloody conflict that has taken more than 100,000 lives and left millions displaced.

The ministry further accused the Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition group, of being "tools of the colonial West" and inciting foreign military intervention.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he will convene the conference on Syria in Geneva on January 22, 2014.