(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian armed factions may join the National Dialogue Congress in Sochi at the end of January after a shift in the opposition's stance that met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on Monday.
Sources told Zaman al-Wasl the new move come due to the regional and International pressure on rebel groups to participate in Sochi along with the political opposition platforms.
The Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC), Syria’s main opposition group, said on Monday it needed “full and clear information” from Russia before it would agree to take part in peace talks to be held in Sochi next week.
The comments came during a visit by the SNC to Moscow as Russia gets set to host talks in the Black Sea resort on January 30 along with Syrian regime-backer Iran and rebel-supporter Turkey.
Last December, 40 moderate and Islamist groups said Russia seeks to keep Bashar al-Assad in power, ignoring Geneva resolutions over Syria and the principles of the revolution that erupted almost seven years ago to overthrow Damascus dictator as well to retain freedom and dignity to the Syrian people.
A roadmap for a transition in Syria outlined in a UN Security Council resolution adopted in December 2015 calls for a Syrian-led political process facilitated by the United Nations which would establish "credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance" within six months and set up a schedule and process for the drafting of a new constitution to be followed by UN-supervised elections.
The Negotiation committee in the opposition-held countryside of Hama and Homs provinces also has accused Russia of pressing on rebel factions to participate in Sochi.
Bassam Sawah, spokesman for the local negotiation committee, said Hmeimim, the main Russian air base in Syria, had informed the committee that the de-escalation zone agreement will end at the mid of February. Such message reveals new rounds of deadly airstrikes on the besieged northern countryside of Homs and the southern countryside of Hama, according to Sawah.
The spokesman assured that Russia is using the de-escalation zone agreement as a pressure tool after almost 6 months of reviving life aspects in Homs despite some violations.
Zamana Al Wasl
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