Jimmy Carter: Election Overseen By International Community the Solution to Syria Crisis

Doesn't think upcoming peace conference will succeed

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter says a Syrian peace conference set for January is "unlikely to succeed" because preconditions set by the Syrian government and opposition have created a stalemate.

In an opinion article published in The Washington Post, Carter and American University professor Robert Pastor argue that an election observed by the international community and protected by international peacekeepers is the best way to end the Syrian conflict.

They argue that the negotiations in Geneva should be based on a vote that must be accepted if judged to be free and fair, and that those who win must guarantee to respect "all sectarian and minority groups."