The number of supporters of a Syrian political settlement is increasing, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today while opening talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, RIA Novosti reported today.
"There are sane forces that more acutely aware of the need to rapidly start the negotiations and political settlement," he said. "The number of supporters of a realistic line is increasing. Those who want to continue the war until victory feel this. They are trying to stifle the positive trends in the opposition ranks and not to allow the beginning of a dialogue."
In these circumstances, there is great need for the Syrian leadership to consistently continue to stand for launching a dialogue and not allow provocations to prevail.
"In our opinion, there is no acceptable alternative to a political solution through coordinating all issues within the dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition," Lavrov said.
Anti-government protests have continued in Syria for more than a year and half. According to the UN, the total number of victims of the conflict in Syria exceeds 70,000. More than 230,000 have become refugees with around three million in need of humanitarian assistance. Syrian authorities say they oppose the well-armed militants.