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Syrian negotiator says opposition wants transition without Assad

Ahmet Davutoglu’s comments come a day after the UN Security Council agreed on a draft text for a peace process to end the conflict.

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Talks between Syria’s government and opposition should begin in early January, the resolution said, though US Secretary of State John Kerry said mid-to-late January was more likely.

Syria’s opposition wants a political transition without President Bashar al-Assad, the coordinator of an opposition negotiating body in future peace talks said on Friday.

Although this is a positive development for Syria, US hardliners and their Middle Eastern allies, who tried to push through a “regime change” scenario in Syria, are not happy about it.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution Friday that lays out a plan to bring peace to Syria.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the council that Syria was “in ruins”, singling out besieged areas where “thousands of people have been forced to live on grass and weeds”, which he called “outrageous”.

Russian Federation and Iran are stepping up cooperation on a political settlement in Syria.

The plan also calls for a cease-fire, but there is disagreement over which armed factions – besides the Islamic State (IS) group and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front -should be branded “terrorists” and consequently excluded from any talks or truce.

On Friday, the United States participated in an global conference looking at “the “gaps” between American and Russian and Iranian positions on the fate of Assad”, reported the AP.

The remaining differences among the Council members concern the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which the resolution does not address.

“The most important thing now is firstly to implement a ceasefire, as this will be the best way to end attacks against civilians, and secondly start the talks which aim to lead to the establishment of a non-sectarian government, a new constitution and free and fair elections under United Nations supervision”.

Eighteen pro-government fighters and several rebels were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.

The 15-nation Security Council was scheduled to meet at 3pm to discuss Syria, but it was not yet clear whether they would have a resolution to adopt.

A group of countries will join Jordan in developing that list, Kerry told reporters, without giving details.

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Countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been supporting terrorist groups in Syria for years, Assad pointed out.

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