Only Syrians entitled to choose leader

Syrians are the only ones to choose the next leader of the Arab nation, the country's Foreign Ministry said. The ministry in a statement released on Wednesday to react to an earlier meeting by the so-called Friends of Syria in London, saying no foreign party would be involved in deciding the country’s leadership, Al-Alam reported. The statement added that the Syrian people would not allow any foreign party to impose its will on them. On Tuesday, the eleven member states of the so-called Friends of Syria held a meeting with the country’s opposition leaders, and agreed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has no place in the future of the country. Meanwhile, Russia also slammed the group for undermining the upcoming Geneva II conference, which aims to deal with a political solution to the crisis in Syria. "Prior to that event (Friends of Syria’s meeting), we were told the discussions there will be held exclusively on the base of Geneva communiqué. However, they went far beyond that document in an attempt to revise the communiqué according to the political needs," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in an online comment. On May 7, Russia and the United States agreed to convene an international conference on Syria as a follow-up on the June 2012 Geneva communiqué, which outlines measures for a peaceful transition of power in Syria. The Syrian government has said that it will participate in the Geneva talks, but will not negotiate with "terrorists". Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria. The United Nations says more than four million other Syrians will be forced out of their homes in 2014 by the escalating conflict in the country.