Syria says will attend peace conference in Russia
Some serious hurdles, however, remained unsettled in the agreement, including the status of the Hamas military wing, known as the Ezzedine al-qassam Brigades, and its estimated 25,000 fighters, who have defended Gaza against three deadly Israeli wars over the past decade.
Hamas had already said that the force was non-negotiable. An official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said that the Syrian government welcomes the National Dialogue Congress, affirming that the government will attend it.
In a statement to SANA on Sunday, the source said that after the consecutive victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army and its allies which paved the way for the political track and intra-syrian dialogue, the Syrian Arab Republic government welcomes the National Dialogue Congress which will be held in Sochi, Russia, with the participation of many segments of the Syrian society, affirming that the government has agreed to attend the congress.
The source added that the government also welcomes the results of the congress which include a committee for discussing the current constitution and holding legislative elections afterward with the involvement of the United Nations and based on the UN Charter which stipulates for respecting the sovereignty of states and peoples’ right to self-determination.
On November 22, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Turkish counterparts Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi.
They agreed to hold the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian city aimed at bringing to the table both the Syrian government and various opposition groups willing to enter into peace talks with Damascus.