LONDON, May 15 (UPI) -- Foreign ministers from 11 Western and Arab nations who call themselves the "London 11," or Friends of the Syrian People, met Thursday in London to discuss their support for the Syrian opposition.
At the conclusion of the conference, representatives from Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. issued a joint statement condemning the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and reaffirming support for the opposition.
"We the countries of the 'London 11' Core Group of the Friends of Syria denounce the Assad regime's unilateral plan to hold illegitimate presidential elections on 3 June," the communique states. The June elections, rejected as illegitimate by the Arab League, European Union, United Nations, "utterly contradicts the Geneva communiqué and is a parody of democracy."
All 11 nations "agreed unanimously" to:
Related
-- Increase support for the moderate opposition National Coalition, its Supreme Military Council and associated moderate armed groups; -- Hold the Assad regime accountable for the terror it is perpetrating against its own people and spreading across the region, including through Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court; -- Counter the rising forces of extremism; -- Complete the removal of Syria's chemical weapons; -- Step up efforts to deliver humanitarian aid across borders and across lines irrespective of the consent of the regime
At a press conference following Thursday's meeting, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry remarked that "today in one unified voice we made it clear that we remain committed, even more so, to taking steps that could in fact make a difference."
