Syrian opposition group would reject joint deal between Russia and US if it deviated from its own plan
Syria’s main opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, has said that it would reject any coordinated strategy by Russia and the US to bring peace to Syria if it were to deviate from the group’s proposed plan, Reuters reported, citing the committee’s general coordinator, Riyad Hijab.
The Saudi and Western-backed High Negotiations Committee’s proposed plan includes a six-month transition period during which a new administration would be created made up of opposition figures, civil society members, and current politicians serving in the government. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be required to leave office at the end of the transition period. The administration would then run the country for 18 months, after which time elections would be held.
"If what the Russians and the Americans agree upon is very much different from what the Syrians aspire to, then we shall not accept it. It's not a question of keeping Assad in for six months or one month or one day, in this transitional period. The Russians and Americans know that. They know the position of the Syrian people, they have sacrificed a lot and they will not give up this demand,” Hijab stated at the group’s presentation in London.
While the US and Russia support opposing factions in the war in Syria, both have targeted extremist groups such as the so-called Islamic State. However, Washington accuses Moscow of focusing its attacks on moderate, US-backed opposition groups.
In recent weeks, Russia and the US have been working towards finding a peaceful solution to the war in Syria that has raged for five years. Earlier this week, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in China, US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 90-minute meeting in which they discussed the wars in Syria and Ukraine. While the two leaders did not reach a formal agreement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meeting “went well. We will continue to work.”
Similarly, the US State Department has been working with the Russian Foreign Ministry to find a solution to the war in Syria, though the talks have failed to produce any results.
The US Department of Defense has been skeptical of plans to pursue a coordinated effort with Russia in Syria.