Syrian Opposition Group Says Rapproachment With Damascus 'Should Be Written'

The Cairo platform of Syrian opposition has suggested to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and to Russian diplomats exchange of texts with commonalities on key issues between the sides as a format for the intra-Syrian talks, the group's leader, Jihad Makdissi, told Sputnik Monday.

GENEVA (Sputnik) — Earlier the day, Makdissi met with the diplomats from Russia's permanent mission to the United Nations in Geneva.

"We talked about the mechanism of how to push forward the Geneva process and maintain the political momentum. On Wednesday, I will have the meeting with [Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady] Gatilov. We will suggest him our perspective on how to move this process forward," Makdissi said.

He noted that the Cairo platform has many ideas how to push the process.

"The rapprochement between the opposition and the government should be through written texts, not wishes. We are asking de Mistura to present a text that has commonalities of positions and to build on it," Makdissi said.

The Cairo group leader added that "the three baskets that de Mistura is suggesting should be discussed in a written form, through texts. Like the way they do it in the Security Council."