Ban calls on Al Assad to accept talks offer
This was a courageous offer by Al Khatib, he says
Damascus: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad to accept an opposition offer of peace talks, hours after Al Assad himself vowed to fight on.
Ban referred to an offer for talks by National Coalition leader Ahmad Muath Al Khatib as “an opportunity we should not miss — a chance to switch from a devastating military logic to a promising political approach”.
“This was a courageous offer by Mr Al Khatib,” he said in a speech on Monday at the Council on Foreign Relations, urging both the Syrian government and the Security Council to “respond positively”.
Earlier Monday, however, Al Assad said he would not bow to mounting pressure and “plots”, state news agency SANA reported.
He was speaking almost two years into the deadly revolt in Syria, which the United Nations says has cost more than 60,000 lives since it broke out in mid-March 2011.
National Coalition chief Al Khatib, head of the umbrella opposition group recognised by several Arab and Western nations, meanwhile said he had received “no clear response” from Damascus over his offer of dialogue.
He said in late January he was prepared to hold direct talks with regime representatives without “blood on their hands”, on condition the talks focus on replacing Al Assad.
The Al Assad regime has said it is open to talks but without preconditions.
Al Khatib, speaking to reporters in Cairo, proposed that direct talks with regime representatives could take place in “liberated areas” of rebel-dominated northern Syria.
The efforts to get the opposing sides around the table came as at least 13 people were killed when a car exploded on the border between northern Syria and southeastern Turkey.
The blast, just inside Turkey, wounded dozens of others, Turkish officials said.
“We have unfortunately lost 13 people: three of them Turks and rest Syrians,” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
The powerful blast was caused by explosives, and “all possibilities are on the table, including political motives”, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said after a cabinet meeting.
