Damascus Delegation Awaits Feedback on Amendments From Opposition

The Syrian Government delegation at the Geneva intra-Syrian peace talks has just received feedback on its amendments of the UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura's 12 points on reconciliation plan from High Negotiating Committee (HNC) and is awaiting comments from other opposition groups, the Damascus delegation head told Sputnik.

GENEVA (Sputnik) — At the end of March round of peace talks, de Mistura made a list of 12 points with proposals on Syria’s reconciliation on which parties to the intra-Syrian talks might agree.

"Basically, our amendments, and there are not many, are qualitative in nature, and we gave them to the UN envoy [de Mistura], and asked him to find out the opinion of other opposition groups involved in the negotiations in Geneva, and to give us the answers," Bashar Jaafari said.

On Monday, the Riyadh-backed High Negotiations Committee asked de Mistura to put the ongoing talks in Geneva "on pause," blaming the government for escalation of violence in Aleppo. Damascus claims it is fighting terrorists of Daesh and Nusra Front groups, both outlawed in Russia and many other countries.

The head of the Damascus delegation also stressed that the idea of ​​the appointment of three deputies under the incumbent Syrian President Bashar Assad is not included in the mandate of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva.

"He [UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura] told us during a meeting that he had heard about this offer from one of the members of the Group of Riyadh [Syria's opposition High Negotiation Committee], meaning he did not promote this idea. In any case, these suggestions are not included in the mandate of groups which meet in Geneva, everything that is connected with the presidency in Syria has no relation to the Geneva meeting," Jaafari told Sputnik.