Opposition calls for direct talks with Syria government

BEIRUT — Syria opposition representatives meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital called Thursday for direct and unconditional negotiations with the Syrian government over the civil war that would lead to the launch of a transition period.

The opposition didn’t condition its participation in upcoming United Nations-based negotiations on the departure of President Bashar Assad from office, signaling a degree of flexibility. The issue has always been the sticking point in previous rounds of talks, deepening division among an already fragmented opposition.

However, in the final communique obtained by The Associated Press, opposition representatives said a peaceful and unbiased transition period will not be possible without Assad first leaving office.

“We set our negotiation goals. We didn’t put down conditions,” said Ahmed Ramadan, an opposition member of the Syrian National Council said.

Ramadan said different opposition groups with divergent view points on Assad’s role in the transition period have found common ground. A unified delegation for the Geneva talks will be announced later Thursday.

It is now up to the government to show seriousness, Ramadan added.

Meanwhile, the chief of the Russian General Staff said Russia is likely to scale down its military presence in Syria “significantly” before the year’s end.

Moscow embarked on an air campaign in Syria in October 2015 to prop up President Bashar Assad and helped turnthe tide in Assad’s favor.

Gen. Valery Gerasimov said in comments carried by Russian news agencies Thursday that the scaledown that Putin announced earlier this week will be “significant.”