Syrian opposition not ready for Geneva talks with participation of third parties

KUWAIT CITY, January 20. /TASS/. The Syrian opposition is not ready to take part in Geneva negotiations planned for January 25 if third parties are also present, Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab told a press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday. "If any third party is invited, the opposition will not participate," Hijab said. The next round of talks on Syrian settlements was scheduled by the United Nations Organization for January 25 but media reports say that the date may be postponed due to persisting disagreements. UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said on Tuesday that this will be clarified on Wednesday or Thursday. On 18 December 2015 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2254 in support of the Vienna agreements on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Syria envisages participation of the Syrian opposition and representatives of government in the talks that are due to start in January 2016. The final goals of negotiations are defined as establishing the transitional government, adopting a constitution and holding election in the next 18 months. The document does not mention Syrian President Bashar Assad whose future remains the main stumbling block. The resolution states that the Syrian people should decide the future of the country. Read more