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| Syrian opposition drops boycott of talks with John Kerry and William Hague | Syrian opposition drops boycott of talks with John Kerry and William Hague |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Syrian opposition has dropped its boycott of talks with John Kerry, William Hague and other western backers in Rome this week after promises of substantially increased aid, European diplomatic sources said. | The Syrian opposition has dropped its boycott of talks with John Kerry, William Hague and other western backers in Rome this week after promises of substantially increased aid, European diplomatic sources said. |
| Diplomats said the leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, had told the Italian government his delegation would be attending the "friends of Syria" meeting on Thursday, after persuading a coalition meeting in Cairo to drop its threatened boycott. | Diplomats said the leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, had told the Italian government his delegation would be attending the "friends of Syria" meeting on Thursday, after persuading a coalition meeting in Cairo to drop its threatened boycott. |
| The move followed the intervention of Kerry, the new US secretary of state, who offered increased US non-military support for the opposition at the start of a nine-day whistlestop tour of Europe and the Middle East. | |
| Khatib also said he was waiting to hear from Damascus following what appeared to be a peace overture from Bashar al-Assad's regime. Speaking in Moscow, the Syrian foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, offered to talk to the rebels, "because we believe that reforms will not come through bloodshed but only through dialogue". But he hedged the offer with a vow to continue the fight "against terrorism". | |
| Khatib responded by telling reporters in Cairo: "We have not been in contact yet, and we are waiting for communication with them." | Khatib responded by telling reporters in Cairo: "We have not been in contact yet, and we are waiting for communication with them." |
| However, rebel commanders have said they are not prepared to hold talks while the bombardment of rebel-held civilian areas continues, and Kerry voiced scepticism about the regime's offer in light of the recent use of Scud missiles against residential areas of Aleppo. | However, rebel commanders have said they are not prepared to hold talks while the bombardment of rebel-held civilian areas continues, and Kerry voiced scepticism about the regime's offer in light of the recent use of Scud missiles against residential areas of Aleppo. |
| "It seems to me that it's pretty hard to understand how, when you see the Scuds falling on the innocent people of Aleppo, it is possible to take their notion that they are ready to have a dialogue very seriously," he said in London during the first leg of his maiden trip as secretary of state. | |
| If confirmed, Khatib's success in Cairo also suggests he retains the support of the bulk of his coalition for his offer earlier this month to open talks with the regime without the precondition of Assad's departure. | If confirmed, Khatib's success in Cairo also suggests he retains the support of the bulk of his coalition for his offer earlier this month to open talks with the regime without the precondition of Assad's departure. |
| Kerry phoned Khatib personally on Monday to lobby against a boycott that would have badly dented his first venture into Syrian diplomacy, and undermined his position when he meets the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Berlin on Tuesday. | Kerry phoned Khatib personally on Monday to lobby against a boycott that would have badly dented his first venture into Syrian diplomacy, and undermined his position when he meets the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Berlin on Tuesday. |
| Lavrov repeated his call for Syria to negotiate with the opposition, saying before meeting Moallem that "the situation in Syria is at a crossroads now". He also warned that further fighting could lead to "the breakup of the Syrian state". | Lavrov repeated his call for Syria to negotiate with the opposition, saying before meeting Moallem that "the situation in Syria is at a crossroads now". He also warned that further fighting could lead to "the breakup of the Syrian state". |
| Russia has shielded Assad's government from UN action and kept shipping weapons to the military, but it is growing increasingly difficult to protect the regime as the violence grinds on. | Russia has shielded Assad's government from UN action and kept shipping weapons to the military, but it is growing increasingly difficult to protect the regime as the violence grinds on. |
| Speaking at a joint appearance with Hague at the Foreign Office in London, Kerry said he was sensitive to the frustration of the Syrian opposition but promised new American support for the National Coalition would "come to maturity by the time we meet in Rome". Other US measures would be discussed in the Italian capital if the opposition took part in the Friends of Syria meeting, he said. | |
| Kerry insisted US policy remained the pursuit of a political resolution, suggesting that direct military aid was not on the immediate agenda. But he added: "We are determined that the Syrian opposition is not going to be dangling in the wind, wondering where the support is, if it is coming." | |
| Hague also urged the opposition to stay involved in talks, promising a large boost in support. "An appalling injustice is being done to the people of Syria, which the world cannot ignore," he said. | Hague also urged the opposition to stay involved in talks, promising a large boost in support. "An appalling injustice is being done to the people of Syria, which the world cannot ignore," he said. |
| "That is why in the United Kingdom we believe we must significantly increase our support for the Syrian opposition, on top of our large contributions to the humanitarian relief effort, and we are preparing to do just that. | |
| "In the face of such murder and threat of instability, our policy cannot remain static as the weeks go by, and it is an important opportunity in Rome on Thursday to discuss this with our allies and partners." | "In the face of such murder and threat of instability, our policy cannot remain static as the weeks go by, and it is an important opportunity in Rome on Thursday to discuss this with our allies and partners." |
| The US and UK promises to review their Syria policy came against a backdrop of reports that new arms supplies were reaching the rebels, funded by Gulf states, but in some cases originating in eastern Europe. The ministry of defence in Zagreb has denied reports that some of the new weapons come from Croatian stockpiles. | The US and UK promises to review their Syria policy came against a backdrop of reports that new arms supplies were reaching the rebels, funded by Gulf states, but in some cases originating in eastern Europe. The ministry of defence in Zagreb has denied reports that some of the new weapons come from Croatian stockpiles. |
| On Monday night a huge car bomb went off in eastern Damascus. The force of the explosion in the Qaboun neighbourhood shook the Syrian capital at around 9pm local time, residents said. | |
| Five members of Syria's security forces were killed in the blast, which was followed by heavy clashes between rebels and forces loyal to Assad, a monitoring group said. | |
| State television and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has monitored the violence in Syria since the uprising against Assad erupted nearly two years ago, said the blast was caused by a car bomb. | |
| The explosion caused panic in the capital, where a massive car bombing on Thursday near the ruling Ba'ath party headquarters killed at least 53 people. | |