- Title: Egypt, UAE-backed Syrian opposition group gives ceasefire qualified welcome
- Date: 29th December 2016
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (DECEMBER 29, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY EGYPTIAN FLAG FLYING VARIOUS OF EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SAMEH SHUKRI (RIGHT) AND HEAD OF SYRIA OPPOSITION MOVEMENT GHAD AL-SURI, AHMED JARBA IN MEETING NEWS CONFERENCE WITH JARBA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SYRIA OPPOSITION MOVEMENT GHAD AL-SURI, AHMED AL-JARBA, SAYING: "There was no Arab presence, nor any Syrian presence, whether opposition or loyalist. We welcome the ceasefire because this is something that will stop the Syrian bloodshed. We wish this agreement could have been reached before the crisis in Aleppo and the fall of Aleppo. This was supposed to take place before the crisis and we could have saved a lot of bloodshed, death and displacement. There are tens of thousands of families in East Aleppo that were displaced. We wish the ceasefire was agreed during that time." JARBA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SYRIA OPPOSITION MOVEMENT GHAD AL-SURI, AHMED AL-JARBA, SAYING: "We discussed with the honourable Foreign Minister (Sameh Shukri) to allow the Syrians to hold a conference in Cairo at the earliest, in the coming weeks. It will be in Cairo to form a political body especially after the recent change in circumstances." JARBA (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF SYRIA OPPOSITION MOVEMENT GHAD AL-SURI, AHMED AL-JARBA, SAYING: "Turkey is a neighbouring state but the recent shift is odd. It is a shift in terms of all its policies on the Syrian revolution. If their current involvement in Syria is against terrorism then it is welcome -- whether it is Turkey or any other country -- and there are many countries that are getting involved. We denounce, however, the killing of civilians. There are civilians who are not members of Islamic State sitting safely at home who were struck by Turkish air strikes. We strongly denounce this." EXTERIOR OF EGYPTIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
- Embargoed: 13th January 2017 17:17
- Keywords: Syria Cairo ceasefire Ahmed al-Jarba Sameh Shukri Syrian National Coalition al-Ghad al-Suri
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0015EXSZLZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The head of Syrian opposition group Ghad al-Suri, Ahmed Al Jarba, said he welcomed a ceasefire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government which is set to start at midnight local time on Thursday (December 29).
Speaking in Cairo on Thursday as he met with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri, Jarba denounced the absence of Arab countries and Syrian groups in the agreement orchestrated by Moscow, Iran and Turkey, saying: "There was no Arab presence nor any Syrian presence, whether opposition or loyalist.''
Jarba also bemoaned the timing of the deal.
''We wish this agreement could have been reached before the crisis in Aleppo and the fall of Aleppo. This was supposed to take place before the crisis and we could have saved a lot of bloodshed, death and displacement. There are tens of thousands of families in East Aleppo that were displaced," he said.
The comments came after a meeting with Shukri, where the pair discussed a possible conference between Syrian opposition groups.
"We discussed with the honourable Foreign Minister (Sameh Shukri) to allow the Syrians to hold a conference in Cairo at the earliest, in the coming weeks. It will be in Cairo to form a political body especially after the recent change in circumstances," said Jarba.
Jarba was the former president of the Syrian National Coalition and now heads Ghad al-Suri, "Syria's Tomorrow", which is backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
He criticised Turkish air strikes on Syrian territories.
"Turkey is a neighbouring state but the recent shift is odd. It is a shift in terms of all its policies on the Syrian revolution. If their current involvement in Syria is against terrorism then it is welcome -- whether it is Turkey or any other country -- and there are many countries that are getting involved. We denounce, however, the killing of civilians. There are civilians who are not members of Islamic State sitting safely at home who were struck by Turkish air strikes," Jarba told media.
Several rebel officials told Reuters they had agreed to the ceasefire, due to come into effect at 2200GMT on Thursday.
The truce was also supported by the Turkish-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition.
Talks on the latest truce picked up momentum after Russia, Iran and Turkey last week said they were ready to back a peace deal and adopted a declaration setting out principles that any agreement should adhere to.
The United States has been sidelined in recent negotiations and is not due to attend the next round of peace talks in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, a key Russian ally.
Its exclusion reflects growing frustration from both Turkey and Russia over Washington's policy on Syria, officials have said.
However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States could join the peace process once President-elect Donald Trump takes office next month.
Talks on the ceasefire reflect the complexity of Syria's civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on all sides.
Ankara has insisted on the departure of Assad, who is backed by Russia. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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