Conference in Turkey to debate regional strife proposed

By Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) has called for a new conference with participation from Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan to discuss regional sectarian and ethnic tensions.

Speaking at a news conference in the parliament on Monday, CHP Deputy Chairman Ozturk Yilmaz said the proposed meeting should strive to prevent sectarian violence and external military intervention, and decrease prevailing tensions in the region.

"We propose a new conference with the primary participation of Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Afghanistan and also other countries in Ankara," he said.

"[The conference] should aim to discuss sectarian and ethnic issues in the region, and share opinions for solving the issues."

He added the conference should also aim to prevent separatism in the region.

"For this reason, a regular mechanism should be established."

Yilmaz's remarks came after three guarantor countries -- Russia, Turkey and Iran -- agreed to discuss proposals for holding a national dialogue conference during the last round of Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, late last month.

However, the Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee and the Syrian Coalition of Revolutionary and Opposition Forces both appear to have declined invitations to attend the gathering.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, according to UN figures.