The chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has ruled out the possibility of a military action against Syria.\n<\/p>\n
“There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria,” NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday, stressing the need for a political solution to the unrest in the Arab country.\n<\/p>\n
Rasmussen also expressed his support for holding an international conference proposed by the United States and Russia for ending the conflict in the Middle Eastern country.\n<\/p>\n
“I urge the government and opposition in Syria to participate in this conference that hopefully will pave the way for a sustainable solution,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In May, Russia and the US agreed to convene the planned Geneva II conference, which will serve as a follow-up to an earlier Geneva meeting held in June 2012.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Washington have agreed to push for holding the international gathering on the Syrian crisis in mid-November.\n<\/p>\n
On Sunday, Syria™s President Bashar al-Assad expressed his country™s readiness to partake in the conference but stressed that he would not negotiate with terrorists.\n<\/p>\n
Assad, however, said that the only condition for sitting at the negotiating table is that the militants lay down their arms and stop fighting against the government.\n<\/p>\n
Syria™s foreign-backed opposition coalition remains divided over participation in the second round of Geneva talks. They have repeatedly expressed reluctance to take part in the conference unless Assad steps down.\n<\/p>\n
Syria has been gripped by deadly turmoil since 2011. According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.\n<\/p>\n
Reports indicate that the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside the country.\n<\/p>\n
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