US hails ‘courageous’ decision by Syrian opposition to attend ‘Geneva 2’

“By voting to go to Geneva II with a mission to negotiate an end to the war, the opposition has chosen a path that will ultimately lead to a better future for all Syrians,” says top US diplomat. US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday hailed the decision by an umbrella Syrian opposition group to participate in next week’s peace conference in the Swiss city, Geneva. “This is a courageous vote in the interests of all the Syrian people who have suffered so horribly under the brutality of the Assad regime and a civil war without end,” he said in a written statement. An international conference, the so-called ”Geneva-II”, to find a political solution to the longstanding conflict in Syria is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland. Brokered by the US and Russia, the conference is set to bring both sides of the major conflict together, as the main opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, agreed to attend on Saturday after months of reluctance to commit. “By voting to go to Geneva II with a mission to negotiate an end to the war, the opposition has chosen a path that will ultimately lead to a better future for all Syrians,” Kerry said. Reiterating US’ support to the Syrian opposition, Kerry demanded “an end to the regime’s SCUD missiles, barrel bombs, and horrific weapons used against civilians.” More than 100,000 people have been killed in three years of conflict which also internally displaced more than 6.5 million people. Over two million are now registered as refugees in neighboring countries, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.