NATO Secretary General Adres Fogh Rasmussen ruled out on Thursday "any further role" for the military alliance in Syria.
NATO Secretary General Adres Fogh Rasmussen ruled out on Thursday "any further role" for the military alliance in Syria.
"There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria," Rasmussen told a press conference in Athen
s with Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos.
He emphasized that a political solution is required to end the Syrian conflict, now well into its third year.
The NATO chief voiced support for a long-mooted international conference hosted by the United States and Russia that would seek to negotiate a deal between the Syrian government of and foreign-backed opposition groups.
"I urge the government and opposition in Syria to participate in this conference that hopefully will pave the way for a sustainable solution," he said.
The proposed peace conference -- dubbed Geneva 2 -- would decide how to implement a declaration agreed by the major powers in the Swiss city in June 2012 for a transitional government in Syria.
UN-Arab League peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi last week urged Syria's warring parties to hold talks "without preconditions" and said he hoped negotiations could take place in late November.
