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Syrian opposition insists on no talks before ceasefire

January 2, 2016 at 12:51 pm

A spokesman from the Supreme Committee for the Syrian opposition, chosen during the Riyadh Conference, has said that talks slated for 25 January would not begin unless a ceasefire is in place across Syria, Anadolu reported on Friday.

“Halting air strikes, releasing prisoners and lifting the siege on areas controlled by the opposition will be evidence of the regime’s goodwill prior to the talks,” explained Na’san Agha. “This is based on the recent UN Security Council resolution 2254.”

Agha noted that the opposition delegation is complete and ready to go, and pointed out that it is to conduct discussions with the international envoy to Syria on Saturday regarding several issues, including the mechanisms of the expected talks. In the meantime, he reiterated the complete coordination of the opposition on the ground. He stated that the new committee includes representatives from ten basic opposition parties, military as well as political.

He also stressed that the Supreme Committee will never accept external diktats and would make its own decisions, which would be “fully Syrian”. Several reservations about resolution 2254 exist, he said, all them relating to Assad’s future. Agha stressed that the Riyadh Statement, which stipulates the reference of Geneva, is the sole basis for the talks.

In closing, he accused Russian of targeting the moderate Syrian opposition, not fighting terrorism. “Russia must stop its daily strikes and killing civilians,” he added, “because it is doubtful if the Syrian people will be able to talk about peace while they are under attack.”