Syrian deputy PM: Damascus to call for ceasefire

Syria’s Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said the government will call for a ceasefire if the proposed International Geneva II Conference takes place. If the armed opposition in Syria accepts the ceasefire, it would have to be monitored “under international observation,” Jamil told British newspaper The Guardian on Thursday. He added that such supervision could be provided by the UN peacekeepers, assuming they came from friendly or neutral countries. Jamil added that the Syrian economy has lost an estimated $100bln during the war - the equivalent of two years of normal production. Moscow and Washington say they are committed to bringing both sides of the conflict to the negotiating table at the Geneva II peace conference. An earlier set of talks in Geneva broke up last year after just one day. No Syrians attended the event. Differences remain between Russia and the US over who should take part in Geneva II. The US wants the western-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) to drop its boycott of the talks and be the only opposition delegation at the conference. Russia has proposed that a combined delegation of Kurds also be present at Geneva II. But, Jamil said that outside powers must stop trying to influence the outcome of events in Syria. He added that the Syrian government would be pushing to “end external intervention, a ceasefire and the launching of a peaceful political process in a way that the Syrian people can enjoy self-determination without outside intervention and in a democratic way.” Jamil, the leader of the People’s Will Party and the co-chair of the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, was appointed last year to end the monopoly of the ruling Ba’ath party in the Syrian government. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs against Syrian police forces and border guards being reported across the country. Tens of thousands of people, including members of the security forces, have been killed ever since some protest rallies turned into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad. Tel Aviv, Washington and some Arab capitals have been staging various plots to topple President Bashar al-Assad, who is well known in the world for his anti-Israeli stances. In recent days, the US, Israel and France have adopted the rhetoric of war against Syria over allegations that the Syrian government was behind a recent chemical attack near Damascus.