A spokesman for the main opposition body, the High Negotiations Committee, told AFP it has still not decided whether to attend. “That is when the process will start”, he said according to an Arabic translation of his remarks published by the newspaper.
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“We will hold preparatory meetings and then go into detail with each group separately”, he said.
More than 280,000 people have been killed over five years of conflict in Syria, amid mounting refugee crisis in the region and Europe caused by the ongoing war.
But key opposition backer Riyadh on Saturday called for Assad – whose clan has ruled Syria for more than half a century – to step down at the start of any transition.
“For us it is very clear it’s at the beginning of the process, not at the end of the process, it’s not going to be 18 months”, Jubeir said during a visit to France.
An unprecedented U.S.-Russian agreement that came into effect on Saturday has slowed the pace of the 5-year-old war, but rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad say the government has kept up attacks on strategically important frontlines, reports Reuters.
But he said he expected them to begin in earnest on the following day.
But a fragile ceasefire drawn up by Russian Federation and the United States and backed by the UN Security Council that entered into force on February 27 is now in its second week, despite accusations of violations.
The European powers are urging the opposition to return to the peace talks but also stated that the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged areas and the continued upholding of the ceasefire are the two most essential elements to successfully re-initiating talks.
The reduction in violence has made aid deliveries easier in some areas of the country, but de Mistura said the Syrian government should be processing aid faster. Another rebel group told Reuters that, “The regime is moving forces from place to place, preparing for operations”.
While Islamist groups like Jaish al-Islam and Jaish al-Fatah are part of the group of opposition entities permitted to negotiate over Syria’s future the al-Qaeda affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State are not and are excluded from the current ceasefire.
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On the political front, the Istanbul-based opposition Syrian National Coalition meanwhile elected Anas al-Abde as its new leader to succeed Khaled Khoja.
