Hague welcomes the decision of opposition to attend Syria talks

William Hague said the Syrian National Coalition’s decision should be supported by all who wanted a “democratic and pluralist” future for the country.

The coalition was under huge pressure from its Western and Arab sponsors to attend the peace talks, scheduled to open on Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland.

Of the 73 voters who made the decision at a meeting in Istanbul, 58 were in favour of attending the so-called Geneva II peace conference.

It will be the first face-to-face meeting between the representatives of president Bashar Assad’s regime and the opposition since the country’s crisis began in March 2011, killing more than 100,000 people and displacing millions.

Mr Hague said: “I welcome the decision by the National Coalition to participate in the Geneva II talks. All who share their vision of a democratic and pluralist Syria need to join together in support.

“The National Coalition reached this difficult decision against the backdrop of continued brutal regime attacks on Syrian civilians, and the deliberate blocking of humanitarian aid.

“The UN Secretary General has made clear that the aim of the talks is to agree a political transition and an end to the conflict. In contrast to the National Coalition, the Syrian regime has still not agreed to this aim. As I have said many times, any mutually agreed settlement means that Assad can play no role in Syria’s future.”

Representatives of President Assad and Iran should have a seat around the table, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary said.

Douglas Alexander said it was better for all sides, including the Assad regime, to take part in the new round of talks in Geneva even if the different parties had disagreements over what should be discussed – or even what the goal is.

Mr Alexander said the talks in Geneva were vital to begin building the basis of a settlement and a “long-term solution” to the three year civil war.

He said: “My hopes are limited but given the scale of the slaughter we are still witnessing in Syria it is vital these talks take place.

“If you talk about what can actually be achieved given we are dealing both with a regime and with rebel forces still engaged in heavy combat in Syria, I think we have to be realistic as to what we can aim for.