Syrian Foreign Minister Opens Door For Talks With Rebels

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem said in Moscow that the government is ready to hold talks with all parties to end the two-year long civil war in the country. In a press conference before meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Al-Muallem also indicated that there was willingness to create a new coalition that would be willing to negotiate with both internal and external opposition. Lavrov also stressed that a political solution is the only alternative, this is contrasted by US Secretary of State John Kerry's proclamation that Assad must go. This comes after a Syrian opposition leader Moaz Alkhatib last week rejected talks while in Moscow and a statement earlier today saying that the government has not contacted the opposition to open talks and criticized Moscow for not condemning the killing in Syria.