Syrian Political Process Should Not Be Hostage to Destructive Forces

Syrian political process should not be held hostage to the destructive forces, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik on Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The political process in Syria should not be held hostage to the destructive forces unwilling to participate in talks between government and opposition forces, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told Sputnik on Friday.

“The hitch is primarily in the fact that the HNC constantly violates the principle of not putting forward preconditions to pursue contacts with official Damascus. In principle, we cannot allow the political process to become a hostage of the destructive forces that do not wish to participate in the intra-Syrian negotiations,“ Bogdanov said.

The latest round of UN-mediated talks in Geneva on April 13-27 ended with a walkout staged by the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) opposition delegation. The group formed in Saudi Arabia said it would take part in negotiations only if conditions for their success were created. The UN has said it would not arrange intra-Syrian negotiations without the HNC.