MOSCOW. Feb 22 (Interfax) - Iraq's Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari has hailed the statement made by Moaz al-Khatib, leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, who said the Syrian opposition is ready to begin negotiations with the Syrian authorities.
"I think Moaz al-Khatib made a good and brave step by offering negotiations," he said in an interview with Interfax.
At the same time, the Iraqi minister said "both sides should not make it impossible to begin negotiations by setting too many preconditions."
"If you want to find a solution, you need to talk to your enemy, not your friend," he said.
He said the parties to the conflict in Syria understand that there can be no winners in the current war.
"This war, in which no party can win the other, can continue for a long time. The capabilities of the army and the opposition have their limits," Zebari said.
The minister reiterated that negotiations are the only way to resolve the crisis in Syria.
He believes many countries are now accepting the position Iraq has held from the very beginning, which is that all parties need to be convinced to look for a political solution to the conflict.
"Iraq's position was different from that of other Arab countries. It was firm from the very start. It can be said that we were the only voice of wisdom, which said that the regime would not fall within several days or weeks as it was expected to, that it would take time," the minister said.
"Secondly, we said there is a need to convince all parties to take part in a dialogue to find a political solution. No party can win and the crisis will continue," he said.
"We said there can be no foreign intervention in the near future because international and regional relations have changed and we, Arab countries, should do our best to stop the bloodshed and convince the parties to begin a healthy dialogue," Zebari said.
"Two years later, many countries began agreeing with us. You now hear the same calls from the Arab ministerial conference, which has visited here. They have made the same statements that we made," he said.
Zebari said that, according to Iraq's observations, even Turkey, which is calling for the replacement of the Assad regime and support of the Syrian opposition by any means, has toned down its rhetoric in the direction of support of a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Responding to a question as to Iraq's motives for refusing to recognize the National Coalition of Opposition Forces as a legitimate representative of the people of Syria, Zebari said his country did not want to create a precedent.
"We maintain contact with the opposition, but formal recognition of the opposition would create a precedent. And that's what we opposed in the Arab League. Tomorrow the opposition will demand the recognition of its legitimacy in any of these countries. Will you recognize them? It would be the main cause of the dispute," he said.
"However, that does not mean that we are not meeting with them or are not inviting them. We invited some of them to Baghdad and discussed the situation. I have recently met with Moaz Al-Khatib, the new leader of the Syrian opposition coalition, in Germany. However, talking to them and recognizing them are two different things," the minister said.