President Bashar al-Assad’s government has said its delegates will attend peace talks on the Syrian conflict due to start in Geneva next week, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Friday.
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The groups, assembled under an umbrella known as the High Negotiations Committee, said in a statement on Friday that their participation comes in response to “sincere” worldwide efforts to end Syria’s five-year civil war.
The civil war has killed over 250,000 people and displaced millions of Syrians from their homes.
HNC general coordinator Riad Hijab said the opposition was ready to “take advantage of every opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people”.
In Turkey, HNC member George Sabra said the opposition is convinced the Syrian government and its chief backers Russian Federation and Iran “still aim for a military solution” to the crisis.
The 56-year-old al-Ani was one of the most prominent poets in eastern Syria. He also cited local amnesty deals reached with some rebels. “They should stop that”.
“Our teams are meeting today with Russian Federation in both Geneva and Amman, where very detailed lay downs will take place regarding these allegations, and I am requesting a call with Foreign Minister Lavrov today and we will work through these and we have been each day”, he added.
But Kerry, who met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for talks on Syria, said that “perceived” violations of the ceasefire that began on February 27 should not derail the UN-mediated talks.
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FILE – In this Sunday, Jan. 19, 2014 file photo, provided by Aleppo Media Center (AMC), an anti-Bashar Assad activist group, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, Syrian citizens inspect an unexploded barrel of explosives which was dropped from a Syrian forces helicopter, on a street in Aleppo, Syria.
