Internal Syrian Opposition Due in Geneva for Talks – Delegation Member

The delegation of Syria’s internal opposition formed after talks at the Russian Hmeymim airbase in Syria is expected to arrive in Geneva for proximity talks on Wednesday, a member of the delegation told Sputnik Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The new round of Syrian talks between the government and opposition factions is expected to begin in the coming days.

"Hmeymim delegation will most likely arrive on Wednesday in Geneva. I will arrive on Wednesday," the group’s representative, Mais Krydee, said.

The delegation consists of 15 people, Krydee said, adding there had been no changes in the lineup of the delegation since the latest round of peace talks that wrapped up in March.

On Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived in Damascus for a working visit.

The previous round of Syrian talks in Geneva finished on March 24. The round saw all delegations submit their settlement proposals to Syrian Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, who then produced a final paper with points of convergence between the parties.

The peace talks followed a Russian-US-brokered ceasefire deal reached on February 27. On March 14, Putin ordered Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to start withdrawing most of Russia's military contingent from Syria, which had been conducting strikes against terrorist targets since late September.