UN: Astana talks to pave way for direct negotiations

UN: Astana talks to pave way for direct negotiations

January 24, 2017
Mohammed Alloush, center, head of a Syrian opposition delegation, and other members attend talks on Syrian peace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday. — AP
Mohammed Alloush, center, head of a Syrian opposition delegation, and other members attend talks on Syrian peace in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday. — AP

ASTANA — The United Nations hopes indirect talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Astana will lead to direct negotiations led by the UN, Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Monday.

“No sustainable, long-term solution to the conflict in Syria can be attained through only military means, but through a political process,” the UN quoted him as saying at the opening ceremony.

“Both sides need to accept that and renounce their objective of using military means.”

Syria talks seeking to bolster a shaky ceasefire in place since last month opened on Monday in Kazakhstan.

The new US administration is not directly involved, because of the “immediate demands of the transition,” the State Department said on Saturday, but Washington is represented by the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, who attended Monday’s opening session held at the luxury Rixos President Hotel in Astana.

“The presence of foreign militias invited by the regime, most notably the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iraqi Hezbollah ... contributes to the continuation of bloodshed and obstructs any opportunity for a ceasefire,” opposition leader Mohammed Alloush said in his address.

Earlier, Osama Abo Zayd, an opposition media representative to the talks, said that the scope of the negotiations is limited to strengthening the ceasefire.

“There’s no significance to negotiations if the people on whose behalf we are negotiating are being killed,” he said, adding that there has been absolutely no discussion about elections or Assad’s future.

“If the negotiations succeed, then we are with the negotiations,” Zayd said. “If they don’t succeed, unfortunately we’ll have no choice but to continue fighting.”

The opposition has said that the talks are meant to bolster a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Ankara last month.


January 24, 2017
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