The Moscow and Cairo opposition platforms have announced that they have reached a memorandum of understanding (MoU) following a series of joint meetings. The MoU outlines basic agreements aimed at advancing a political solution to the Syrian conflict.
The memorandum emphasizes the platforms’ “commitment to the unity of Syria and the withdrawal of all foreign forces.” It stresses that “a political solution, through the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, is the only viable way to end the Syrian crisis and restore the unity of the Syrian people and territories under a new political system chosen by the Syrians themselves.”
36-member
The two platforms further pledged to work together to activate the role of the Negotiating Commission as a functional body for direct, unbiased negotiations among Syrian opposition groups.
This agreement comes after the Cairo Platform objected on August 28 to amendments made to the Commission’s statute, which it described as “illegal.” The Cairo Platform criticized the amendments, particularly the extension of the Commission’s presidential term from one to two years, claiming it was done to allow certain individuals to remain in power longer. The Cairo opposition also expressed concern that the amendments could result in the exclusion of certain political components from the Commission’s meetings, raising fears about the representation of diverse opposition groups in the process.
The 36-member Negotiating Commission is made up of six blocs: the Coalition (eight representatives), the Independents (eight representatives), the Coordination Body (five representatives), the Armed Factions (seven representatives), and four representatives each from the Moscow and Cairo Platforms.
The Cairo and Moscow Platforms were established in 2014 in Egypt and Russia, respectively, and claim to represent a broad spectrum of opposition groups. The Moscow Platform, led by Qadri Jamil, head of the People’s Will Party, is seen by observers as aligning with Russia’s vision for a solution to the conflict and supporting many of Russia’s proposed frameworks for the resolution of the Syrian crisis.
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.
