Oman Daily Observer

Syria opposition urges Russia to push Damascus over peace settlement

TALKS BEGIN: Delegation­s from Russia, Iran and Turkey along with Syrian govt and opposition representa­tives attend

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ASTANA, Kazakhstan: Syria’s opposition on Thursday said it was more important “than ever before” that Russia push Bashar al Assad’s government towards a political settlement, as new peace talks kicked off in Kazakhstan.

A new round of Syria peace talks backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey began earlier on Thursday in the Kazakh capital Astana as major powers seek to revive a hobbled peace process.

Delegation­s from Russia, Iran and Turkey along with Syrian government representa­tives and a 20-strong opposition delegation had all arrived in Astana for two days of talks, a Kazakh foreign ministry spokesman said.

The UN’s envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is expected to attend the second day of talks on Friday, the ministry added.

On Thursday, Russian Foreign Lavrov in Moscow.

In Astana, the Syrian delegation urged Russia to push Assad’s De Mistura met Minister Sergei government settlement.

“We are asking the Russian side, now more than ever before, to put pressure on the regime to push it towards a political settlement,” the Syrian opposition delegation said in a statement after meeting with a United towards a peace Nations team.

“The detainees are the priority for the military delegation. We will focus on this cause with the Russian delegation,” the statement added.

The Syrian negotiator­s will also focus on the reinforcem­ent of the ceasefire, especially in the de- escalation zones, as well as the lifting of sieges on all towns and villages and the delivery of assistance to those in need, the statement said.

Syria’s SANA state news agency reported that Russia’s delegation had “met separately with the Iranian and Turkish delegation­s.”

“After the bilateral meetings, there will be a trilateral meeting between the three sponsor states,” it said.

The negotiatio­ns should conclude with a plenary session involving all the parties on Friday.

The eighth round of talks comes after Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian forces during a surprise visit to the war-torn country last week.

Moscow has spearheade­d the talks in Astana since the start of the year as it tries to turn its game-changing military interventi­on in Syria into a negotiated settlement.

The Kremlin also hopes to convene a political congress in the Black Sea resort of Sochi which would bring together regime officials and the opposition to reinvigora­te a hobbled peace process. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday there were currently “no dates” for the Sochi congress as of yet.

“The most important thing here is preparedne­ss. No one is trying to artificial­ly accelerate this process,” Peskov told reporters.

Since the start of Syria’s war in 2011, numerous diplomatic attempts to halt the conflict have stumbled, mainly over Assad’s future. A fragile ceasefire brokered at the end of last year by Moscow and rebel-aligned Ankara has been bolstered somewhat by the negotiatio­ns in Astana, which began in January.

 ?? — Reuters ?? UN special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura (C), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday.
— Reuters UN special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura (C), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday.

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