Syria does not plan on participating in next week's peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland barring any "political surprises", an official in Damascus told the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Hayat Thursday.
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| More than 40 nations invited to Annapolis / News agencies |
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White House issues formal invitations to peace conference despite admitting it likely won't result in steadfast results |
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According to the report, Syria's
decision stems from the fact that the issue of the disputed Golan Heights is not expected to be raised directly during the parley, which is expected to begin next Tuesday.
Syria received an invitation to
attend the US-brokered conference last Tuesday along with more than 40 other countries and organizations.
High-ranking Syrian officials told Al-Hayat that Damascus was still looking to add the Golan Heights issue to the conference's agenda with the backing of the Arab league's foreign ministers, who are schedule to meet Friday in Cairo.
Syria will apparently wait with an official announcement on its decision until after the foreign ministers' meeting. A fresh invitation with different wording may also reverse Syria's decision, Al-Hayat said.
Meanwhile, Western diplomats have told Al-Hayat that the invitation to the conference was handed to the Syrians by Deputy US Ambassador to Damascus Michael Corbin. The Syrians, they said, were outraged by the fact the invitation was not written on official letterhead.
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