Final List of Syrian Opposition May Be Formed at Lavrov-Kerry Talks

© AFP 2023 / POOL / LEONHARD FOEGERRussia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and US Secretary of State John Kerry talk before a conference on the Syria conflict in Vienna, Austria, on November 14, 2015
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and US Secretary of State John Kerry talk before a conference on the Syria conflict in Vienna, Austria, on November 14, 2015 - Sputnik International
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The list of opposition negotiators to take part in intra-Syria peace talks may be finalized at the upcoming meeting between Russian and US top diplomats, a source in the Syrian opposition told Sputnik Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Svetlana Alexandrova – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry are set to meet in Zurich on Thursday, five days before the intra-Syria talks in Geneva.

“The opposition list has not been agreed yet. The issue will be discussed and, I believe, finally agreed at the January 20 meeting of Lavrov and Kerry. I think that the decision will be made that this list will consist of two groups  – Riyadh-proposed opposition members and the second, which would be proposed by Moscow and Cairo,” the source said.

During the last round of international negotiations on the Syrian settlement on December 18, the sides failed to reach a consensus on what groups within Syria should be designated as terrorist and banned from the Geneva conference, where opposition representatives will meet with Syrian authorities.

An unidentified photographer stands next to rebel fighters from Jaysh al-Islam (Army of Islam) holding a position behind a sand barrier on August 25, 2015, on the frontline in the Bashkoy area, on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, where opposition fighters are battling Syrian pro-government forces - Sputnik International
Terrorist Groups Must Be Excluded From Opposition Delegation to Syria Talks
On Wednesday, Russian, US and UN diplomats took part in a meeting in preparation for the January 25 meeting.

Moscow considers that forming a list of credible and moderate opposition representatives is a necessary condition for starting the intra-Syrian talks. Earlier this month, Lavrov said a sustainable settlement in Syria was impossible without an agreed single list of terrorist organizations operating in the country.

Several groups of Syrian external opposition met in the Saudi capital Riyadh in December despite protests from Damascus. They formed a council that hopes to handpick delegates to represent the opposition at the upcoming talks with Damascus representatives.

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