Geneva conference on Syria to be held on Jan 22

GENEVA - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Monday that conference on Syria, known as Geneva II, would be convened on January 22, according to a statement.

The conference will bring the Syrian government and opposition to the negotiating table for the first time since the start of the Syrian conflict.

Ban expressed his appreciation for the initiating states of the conference, namely Russia and US, as well as other member states and the UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi for their hard work.

The long-delayed Syria peace talks will bring the Syrian government and opposition to a negotiating table for the first time since the start of the over-two-year Syrian conflict.

"The Geneva conference is the vehicle for a peaceful transition that fulfills the legitimate aspirations of all the Syrian people for freedom and dignity, and which guarantees safety and protection to all communities in Syria,"read the statement.

It said that the goal of the conference is the full implementation of the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012, which was reached after the Action Group meeting on Syria held in Geneva in June, 2012, and included the establishment, based on mutual consent, of a transitional governing body in the war-torn country.