Syrian opposition selects chief negotiator ahead of new Geneva talks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Syria’s main opposition group on Friday picked a new chief negotiator ahead of a new round of peace negotiations with the Syrian government sponsored by the UN.

Nasr al-Hariri replaced hardliner Riyad Hijab, who had led the Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC) before he quit this week.

According to Hariri, the HNC under Hijab was under pressure to accept conditions that favored Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Hariri added that the opposition would go to Geneva for direct talks, and was ready to discuss “everything on the negotiating table.”

The announcement followed a summit in Riyadh where the opposition group on Thursday insisted that Assad play no role in the transition despite the expectations that the opposition would soften its stance as the Syrian President controls most of the areas in the country.

The purpose of the Riyadh meeting was to obtain a unified position ahead of a UN-backed peace deal, two years after Russia militarily intervened to help Assad’s government recapture Syria's main cities.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN peace talks mediator, is also prepared for the next phase of peace talks in Geneva.

He met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday who said he was working with Riyadh to unify the Syrian opposition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an assembly of the Syrian government and opposition to create a framework for the future structure of the Syrian state, embrace a new constitution, and hold elections under the supervision of the UN.

Putin also mentioned that any Syrian political settlement would be finalized within the Geneva peace talks overseen by the UN.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany