Russia optimistic about prospects of Syria conference

Russia is determined to convene a new international conference on Syria, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Tuesday. \"We are determined to hold a peace conference in Geneva. On that basis we\'ll go for constructive work based on the Geneva communique,\" Gatilov told reporters. He noted that there was sense to go only if the mood had been optimistic. Gatilov will fly to Geneva along with his colleague Mikhail Bogdanov for a tripartite meeting with UN and U.S. representatives on June 25. \"Everything remains in force. We hope to end up with compromised decisions which will launch a political settlement process (in Syria),\" he said. Russia and the United States did not plan new consultations over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria, he added. After talks on the sidelines of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday, President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama agreed to push for a peace conference in Geneva and had instructed their teams to work on the meeting.