US Special Troops Battalion. Photo: Reuters

The Syrian government on Monday said that providing weapons to the opposition forces only aggravated the 2-year conflict in Syria. At the press conference in Damascus following the “Friends of Syria” meeting’s decision to supply heavy military vehicles to insurgents, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said that delivering weapons to Syria may hinder the Peace Conference on Syria in Geneva, Switzerland. He said that this move would lengthen conflict and encourage terrorists to commit more crimes. Muallem noted that the Syrian government would not transfer power to the opposition forces at the Geneva Peace Conference, adding that President Bashar al-Assad will not resign as requested by the opposition forces.