- Title: Syrian opposition says government still refuses to discuss political transition
- Date: 31st March 2017
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (MARCH 31, 2017) (REUTERS) SYRIAN OPPOSITION CHIEF NEGOTIATOR NASR AL-HARIRI ARRIVING WITH THE DELEGATION FOR NEWS BRIEFING CAMERAMEN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN OPPOSITION CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, NASR AL-HARIRI, SAYING: "The regime is still refusing to discuss political transition and they are discussing their empty rhetoric about countering terrorism, although they attracted terrorism to the region, they used all kinds of weapons and they used siege and chemical weapons against the people" NEWS BRIEFING ONGOING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN OPPOSITION CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, NASR AL-HARIRI, SAYING: "War crimes and crimes against humanity should not be an option for negotiations, from now on, paths must be found for transitional justice that ensures accountability, briefly there is no peace without justice." VARIOUS NEWS BRIEFING ONGOING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN OPPOSITION CHIEF NEGOTIATOR, NASR AL-HARIRI, SAYING: "International leverage must be brought here to the tables of negotiations so we can have constructive and fruitful negotiations between both parties, the High Negotiations Comity and the regime side, to reach the desired outcomes that are long awaited by Syrians inside and outside of Syria." NEWS BRIEFING ONGOING
- Embargoed: 14th April 2017 16:11
- Keywords: UN United Nations Syria talks opposition
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Government/Politics,United Nations
- Reuters ID: LVA0036AAKRWN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Syria's opposition once again denounced on Friday (March 31) the "terrorist regime" of Bashar al-Assad's and the Syrian government delegation's refusal to discuss political transition during a round of U.N.-sponsored talks, as this fifth session, scheduled to last until Saturday, nears its end.
Speaking to reporters after a last bilateral meeting with U.N. Special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, the opposition's negotiator in chief reiterated that Assad was a war criminal who must step down in the name of peace.
On Thursday, the U.S ambassador to the United Nations had said that the U.S.'s diplomatic policy on Syria for now no longer focused on making the seven-year war-torn country's president Bashar al-Assad leave power, in a departure from the Obama's administration's initial and public stance on Assad's fate.
This eight-day round of talks have been overshadowed by renewed fighting on the ground, notably in and around Syria's capital Damascus and in Hama province.
The Syrian opposition, insisting it was determined to negotiate and find a political solution, renewed its call on the international community to put pressure on the Syrian government in order for results to be achieved in this negotiating process. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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