03:07Switzerland: Moscow-Cairo group urge continuation of peace talks despite HNC delay
Intra-Syrian peace talks should continue despite the decision of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) to postpone their participation, said members of Moscow-Cairo-Astana platform of the Syrian opposition, during a press conference at the Palace of Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.
Speaking to the press after their second meeting with the UN Special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Fateh Jamous said they had asked the UN team of mediators to ensure that the negotiations will not be disrupted because of the HNC, as it happened - according to him - during the two previous rounds in Geneva, also noting that the group was ready for direct talks with the other two delegations - Hmeymim group of opposition and Syrian government team led by the country's UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari.
From his side, Abduljalil Al-Said warned of a potential failure of the Geneva talks, saying that in this case every side of the conflict in Syria will return to the military solution and that would result in a new massacre towards the civilians.
Jihad Makdissi, key figure in the Moscow-Cairo-Astana group's delegation and former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic, said that his group understood why the HNC opposition made the decision to postpone their official participation in proximity peace talks, expressing his hope that they would return so that full spectre of the Syrian opposition is again represented at the talks. Also Makdissi underlined that there was some progress in the intra-Syrian talks in comparison with the previous round as the negotiations are now concentrated on political transition - not around list of participants.
03:07Intra-Syrian peace talks should continue despite the decision of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) to postpone their participation, said members of Moscow-Cairo-Astana platform of the Syrian opposition, during a press conference at the Palace of Nations in Geneva on Tuesday.
Speaking to the press after their second meeting with the UN Special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, Fateh Jamous said they had asked the UN team of mediators to ensure that the negotiations will not be disrupted because of the HNC, as it happened - according to him - during the two previous rounds in Geneva, also noting that the group was ready for direct talks with the other two delegations - Hmeymim group of opposition and Syrian government team led by the country's UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari.
From his side, Abduljalil Al-Said warned of a potential failure of the Geneva talks, saying that in this case every side of the conflict in Syria will return to the military solution and that would result in a new massacre towards the civilians.
Jihad Makdissi, key figure in the Moscow-Cairo-Astana group's delegation and former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Syrian Arab Republic, said that his group understood why the HNC opposition made the decision to postpone their official participation in proximity peace talks, expressing his hope that they would return so that full spectre of the Syrian opposition is again represented at the talks. Also Makdissi underlined that there was some progress in the intra-Syrian talks in comparison with the previous round as the negotiations are now concentrated on political transition - not around list of participants.