Hadi al-Bahra, head of the Syrian opposition coalition, announced on Monday that they are prepared to begin negotiations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad starting Tuesday. However, he emphasized that the armed opposition would continue fighting until the Syrian government fully commits to the United Nations peace process and political transition.
The opposition factions, including those loyal to Turkey and the group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra), recently launched a large-scale offensive. They seized control of the Idlib governorate, significant parts of Aleppo, and some areas in the countryside of Hama. This offensive, which began last Wednesday, saw government forces withdraw from many of these regions.
Bahra made his remarks during a press conference in Istanbul, stating, “We are ready to negotiate with the Syrian government as of Tuesday.”
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom urged a political solution to the Syrian conflict in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, also stressed the need for both Syrian and international parties to engage seriously and urgently in order to avoid further bloodshed and to focus on a political resolution, as mandated by the UN resolution.
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.
