Syria opposition seeks ‘direct negotiations’ with regime
Discussions of safe zones are taking place as the UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura makes a new diplomatic effort to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict amid talks in Geneva. That round of talks broke down because of repeated violations of a cease-fire agreement.
On Wednesday, de Mistura told a press conference in Geneva he would be continuing to push for negotiations even if the ceasefire is not respected.
De Mistura, who earlier talked to the opposition, is meeting with the Damascus delegation in Geneva on Saturday and Sunday. But there has been no further direct contact with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura, who is still trying to get agreement on how the talks should be arranged.
We ask for direct negotiations. “We shall inform him of our position”, he said. “It is time to talk and fight on the table, through the table, but not in the field”.
The UN-brokered talks come shortly after the conclusion of the second round of the Syria peace negotiations, facilitated by Russia, Turkey and Iran, in the Kazakh capital of Astana on February 15 and 16.
“In addition, almost 2 million children remain largely cut-off from urgently needed humanitarian assistance”.
“They just want to remain in power”.
De Mistura said the more inclusive the talks, the better the chance of success.
The Syrian people hope the new administration will be different, he said.
“The HNC was in contact with the Cairo and Moscow platforms in previous meetings”.
He pledged to raise the issue of detainees, abducted and missing people as part of the ongoing discussions.
The ceasefire “is fragile but it is there, and we didn’t have one for many months”, he added. “So we could get rid of ISIL and also, get rid of Iran and the other Shiite militias, so we can achieve the political transition in Syria”, said Nasr El Hariri, Head of the Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC).
The SOHR said that Syrian army air strikes on Saturday also killed 13 civilians across the country, including three in the last government-besieged rebel enclave of Homs, the al-Waer neighbourhood.
Hardline jihadist groups such as Islamic State are excluded from the truce, which took effect on December 30, brokered by Russian Federation and Turkey, which supports the rebels.
The meeting follows weeks of hard negotiations in preparation.
“Any party who refuses to condemn these attacks today we will consider that party to be an accomplice of terrorism”, Jaafari said after his latest meeting with United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura, who he said should also condemn the attacks. It is not clear if this system will continue, or if the delegations will agree to meet face to face.
De Mistura says he plans to hold separate talks with the two sides Friday, trying to devise a plan that could lead to talks over governance, a new constitution, and elections sought by the U.N. Security Council.