Sixty countries expected at Tokyo Syria meet
JAPAN: Japan said Friday around 150 delegates from some 60 countries
are expected to attend an international conference in Tokyo this month
aimed at pressuring the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
It will bring together senior government officials from "Friends of
Syria Group" countries supporting the Syrian opposition and seeking to
ratchet up pressure on the Assad regime, a foreign ministry official
said.
The Friends of Syria Group has previously organised four such
meetings -- in Paris in April, Washington in June, Doha in July and The
Hague in September, the official said.
"Some 150 participants from some 60 countries participated in the
previous meetings and we expect a similar size this time as well," the
foreign ministry official said.
Further details of the meeting, including the date, will be announced
soon.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said on Monday: "The meeting
is aimed at broadening the range of countries taking part in sanctions
and enhancing the effectiveness of pressure on the Syrian government."
Tokyo imposed a freeze on assets held in Japan by the Syrian
president and military leaders in September last year, in concert with
European countries and the United States.
Tokyo has also banned chartered flights from Syria since July.
Syria's foreign ministry on Thursday lashed out at the planned
meeting, according to state television, and demanded Tokyo call it off,
saying sanctions were hurting the Syrian people.
AFP |