General coordinator of the opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Riad Hijab said he was not optimistic about the progress of the Geneva negotiations because Assad is well aware that achieving any political solution means bringing his rule to an end. HIjab questioned the ability of the international community to remove Assad from power when it is unable to introduce a pack of baby milk to besieged areas.
In an interview with Al-Arabi TV yesterday, Hijab said he is not in position to waiver the rights of the Syrian people, adding that the blood being shed in Syria cannot be a subject for negotiation.
Hijab stressed that the Syrian opposition will not go further in the negotiations unless a transitional governing body is formed in line with the Geneva Communiqué of 2012 and the UN Security Council resolution 2254. He added that the Geneva negotiations must be centered mainly on forming a transitional governing body without Assad and his clique whose hands are stained with the blood of the Syrian people.
Hijab went on to say that the opposition has a duty to engage in the Geneva negotiations to represent the just cause of the Syrian people and help achieve their legitimate demands.
Hijab said that the United States and Russia have clearly reached an agreement on points related to the Syrian file, adding that the opposition does not fear the American-Russian rapprochement, but that it has misgivings about the vague and non-transparent nature of such an agreement. (Source: Syrian Coalition)