MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) - During a meeting on Thursday between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a delegation of the National Coordination Council of the Syrian opposition, both sides stressed that a peaceful settlement in Syria has no alternative.
"After an in-depth discussion of the situation in Syria and ways of ending the bloody and destructive crisis in that country, a unanimous opinion was expressed about the absence of an alternative to a peaceful settlement, which would be acceptable for Syrians as well as from the point of view of regional and international security interests," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following talks between Lavrov and the NCC delegation led by NCC's General Coordinator Hassan Abdel Azim.
The Russian side stressed that "this path should be embarked on immediately without waiting for new casualties and hardships that might befall the Syrian people, with consensus agreements worked out at the Geneva conference of the Syria Action Group as the basis" and through various formats of inter-Syrian dialogue that would "enable the sides to coordinate a common political platform for addressing urgent national problems, including the transition from armed confrontation toward a political process".
The NCC delegation emphasized that the right to determine Syria's future belongs to "all Syrians and only Syrians" and that "any foreign interference in Syrian affairs will be rejected". Abdel Azim urged Russia to play a greater role in the search for solutions to the internal conflict in Syria.
The same day, the NCC delegation held broad consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bodganov.