Syrian minister to ‘meet’ opposition leader

Opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib. AP Photo

Syria’s national reconciliation minister said he is willing to meet with opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib anywhere he can to discuss preparations for a national dialogue while U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the Syrian regime to accept an opposition offer for peace talks.

“I am willing to meet al-Khatib in any foreign city where I can go in order to discuss preparations for a national dialogue,” Ali Haidar, the minister for national reconciliation, told British daily the Guardian.

“The dialogue is a means to provide a mechanism for reaching free parliamentary and presidential elections. This is one of the subjects which will be discussed at the table. Such a thing could be the result of negotiations, but not a precondition,” he said. “We reject a dialogue that is just to hand power from one side to another,” he said.

Meanwhile, the U.N. secretary general urged the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to accept an opposition offer of peace talks. Ban referred to an offer for talks by 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 al-Khatib,” he said in a speech Feb. 11 at the Council on Foreign Relations, urging both the Syrian government and the Security Council to “respond positively.”