The Assad regime is seeking to derail negotiations in Geneva, the Syrian opposition said. The opposition stressed that head of the regime’s negotiations delegation, Bashar Jaafari, has not come to Geneva to discuss any political solution.
Salem Meslet, spokesman for the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC), wondered how the Assad regime talks about fighting terrorism while it is the primary sponsor of terrorism.
If Russia is serious about making the negotiations succeed, it has to put pressure on the Assad regime to agree to a political solution in Geneva, Meslet stressed. Meslet noted that Russia has great leverage on the Assad regime as its direct military intervention in Syria saved it from falling and helped it recapture Aleppo.
The first step that must be taken to make the negotiations a success is to discuss the formation of a transitional governing body, elections, and the constitution, he said.
Meslet expected that the Trump administration’s position on Syria will be different from that of its predecessor, especially as the US has appeared to adopt a tougher stance on Iran which is an accomplice in the crimes of the Assad regime against the Syrian people.
The Syrian opposition has certain fundamental demands and principles that it will not waive under any circumstances, Meslet said. He appointed out that blood of half a million people killed by the Assad regime cannot be ignored, stressing the need to achieve the demands of the Syrian people at any cost despite the many obstacles facing the political process. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Al-Quds Al-Arabi)
