Syrian Opposition Group Hopes Lausanne Meeting to Restart Syria Talks

The Syrian High Negotiations Committee opposition group hopes that the foreign ministers of US, Russia and key Middle East countries will be able to overcome an impasse in the negotiations on Syria at the upcoming October 15 meeting in the Swiss city of Lausanne, the HNC spokesman Riyad Naasan Agha said Wednesday.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed their participation in the meeting. Lavrov told US media earlier today that Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar were also likely to attend.

"We were not invited to the meeting. But we hope that the participants will be able to unblock the situation, even though, personally, I am not optimistic," the HNC spokesman told RIA Novosti.

The truce in Syria brokered by Russia and the United States began on September 12 and lasted less than a week with both government forces and militants blaming the other side for ceasefire violations. Following the collapse of the ceasefire, the Syrian Army launched major offensive on rebel-held districts of Aleppo, which led to many civilians trapped by the fighting and lacking food, water and medical care.

The ceasefire renegotiation talks seemingly reached dead end as the US State Department announced last Monday it was suspending bilateral discussions on Syria with Russia.