HNC Hopes Lavrov-Kerry Talks to Return ‘Full Credible Truce’ for Syria

The Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) hopes for a return to a full cessation of hostilities in Syria as a result of the ongoing talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US State Secretary John Kerry, HNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lavrov and Kerry are now holding talks in Geneva, focusing on the joint fight against terrorism, as well as on the Syrian political process.

"We are first hoping for restoring the cessation of hostilities overall in Syria, not only some areas… We need a full credible truce, according to which, if it is violated, the violator is punished," Kodmani said, asked about her expectations from Friday’s Lavrov-Kerry talks.

Earlier in the week, the HNC unveiled a three-stage plan to complete a political transition in the war-torn country. The plan, said to be based on the Geneva Communique made in 2014 by international mediators, allocates six months to finalizing a peace deal before moving on to the 1.5-year second stage, when a transitional government would preside between the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad and fresh elections. The third stage would see to UN-supported local, legislative, and presidential elections being held in the country.

"Why would we reject an agreement between Russia and the United States that says there is a restoring of the cessation of hostilities? We, the opposition, and armed groups on the ground accepted and respected the truce back in February. Now we want it back, and if it is decided, you will not find an opposition that prevents it from taking place," Kodmani added.

Moreover, the HNC hopes that the possible deal would ban internal displacement of the population in Syria, Bassma Kodmani said.

"The issue that is becoming extremely alarming for us is the deportation of population from areas which the regime has decided it wants to empty, and therefore it displaces the population. This can only be named ethnic cleansing," Kodmani said.

She added major displacements already took place in Darayya suburb and was about to happen in Moadamiya, next to Darayya.

"We would like to see in the agreement a clause that says that it bans any displacement of population," Kodmani said.

According to Kodmani, active internal displacement instead of bombing from the air is a "qualitative change" of the policy of the Syrian army on the ground.

"I think if this were to happen [ban on displacement], both the United States and Russia would find that it opens space for people to return to cooperation, negotiation and political process. All of these become possible," Kodmani added.

Despite several recent contacts between Lavrov and Kerry on G20 sidelines in China and in Geneva, the parties so far have been unable to reach an agreement.

The main sticking point remains the differentiation between terrorists and the opposition groups.