Britain backs Syria conference plan 'in principle'

London, June 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) British Foreign Secretary William Hague has reiterated that his country welcomes "in principle" the Russian suggestion of an international conference on Syria.

Hague, however, warned that Iranian attendance at any such meeting was probably unworkable, the Foreign Office said Thursday.

Any such conference "should set out the principles of a political process in Syria, including a plan for political transition in Syria and full implementation of the Annan Plan", Hague said during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the sidelines of a conference in Kabul.

Hague asked Russia to use its full influence on the Syrian regime to ensure a peaceful resolution of the situation through a political process, the Foreign Office said.

Amnesty International has accused Syria of the "shocking escalation" in unlawful killings, torture, and arbitrary detention and called for decisive international action to stop attacks on civilians by government forces and militias.

According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 12,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011, most of them civilians.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

pm