Syrian National Coalition Says Talks With UN Presence Needed, But Premature

The National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces hope for settlement talks in the future but consider a political process premature, the coalition’s deputy leader told Sputnik on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – “Our dialogue and negotiations with the UN and the international envoy [Staffan de Mistura] continue, we expect understanding of our position from de Mistura and the international community,” Hisham Marwah said.

The coalition vice president said the future of the negotiating process depends on confidence-building measures like the end of violence and implementing the UN-backed Geneva communique.

“It is impossible to negotiate when one side tries to strike another,” Marwah, representing the country’s main opposition force, stressed. The politician blamed Russia for "straying from” the Geneva communique as the reason behind his contention that it was a “wrong time” to start political action.

As one of the Geneva process architects, Russia continues to support the political settlement of the Syrian conflict, including with the moderate Syrian opposition and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said Moscow is ready to communicate with the FSA and is awaiting a response from the United States.

Russian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Alexander Yakovenko requested the British Foreign Office late last week for assistance in establishing contacts with the FSA.