The Syrian opposition delegation revealed its composition and its agenda for the 16th round of Astana talks.
According to Nedaa Post’s sources, the opposition delegation includes Ahmed Tu’mah (head of the delegation), Ayman al-Asmi (spokesman for the delegation), Haitham Rahma (coalition member and member of the Constitutional Committee), Munther Seras (coalition member and commander of the Sham Legion), Abdul Jamil al-Sawadi (commander of the 20th Division), Salem al-Muslat (coalition member and Syrian Council of Tribes and Clans chairman), Yasser Abdul Rahim (military commander of the Glory Corps), Mohammed Saeed Suleiman (Minister of Local Administration of the Interim Syrian Government), Ahmed Othman (military commander of the Sultan Murad Division) and Tarek Sawlaq (commander of the Coastal Division).
The Nedaa Post editorial team pursued the opposition delegation for comment on the Astana talks, which are scheduled for today and tomorrow. They learned that the agenda for this round of talks includes: “maintaining the peace in Idleb, maintaining the mechanism of aid delivery through the crossings, releasing detainees, emphasizing the centrality of the constitutional process and a political solution, as well as discussing terrorism, the issue of eastern Euphrates, and the organization of SDF. The agenda will also emphasize a political solution that does not involve Bashar al-Assad and warn against his continuation.”
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Earlier, a spokesman for the Syrian opposition delegation to the Astana talks, Ayman al-Asmi, revealed the agenda for the 16th round of talks. The meetings are scheduled for July 7th and 8th in the Kazakh capital, Nur-Sultan.
Asmi said that the next round of talks will deal with several issues. The most prominent issue will be keeping border crossings open to UN humanitarian convoys, the mandate for which expires on July 10th.
Asmi told Nedaa Post that hope exists for solving the issue of crossings. He stressed the need to extend the mechanism for cross-border assistance and aid delivery to all areas.
The spokesman confirmed that the Syrian regime’s violations of the ceasefire agreement and de-escalation in Idleb will also be raised during the talks. The region has been under aerial and artillery bombardment for weeks, which has resulted in dozens of civilian casualties and injuries.
Concerning the implementation of agreements reached during the meetings, Asmi said: “This is related to the seriousness of the regime’s allies, and Russia in particular; Iran is part of the problem rather than a solution.”
“The opposition is ready to cooperate on topics related to the Syrian crisis, which can only be resolved by the consensus of the relevant actors, who can force the regime to accept those terms,” Asmi said.
The 15th round of Astana talks was held February 16th-17th in the Russian city of Sochi. That event’s final statement stressed the need to maintain peace in Idleb. The region continues to be shelled, however, in the heaviest onslaught since the March 2020 ceasefire agreement was reached.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
