Syrian Regime Ready for Fresh Peace Talks

Damascus, 20 Syawwal 1437/25 July 2016 (MINA) – The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is ready for further peace talks with the opposition to find a political solution for the five-year conflict, officials said on Sunday.

“Syria [government] is ready to continue the Syrian-Syrian dialogue without any preconditions … and without foreign interference, with the support of the United Nations,” an official in the Syrian foreign ministry told the state agency SANA on Sunday.

In the meantime, the UN special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said that the United Nations hopes to convene a new round of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva in August, ARA News quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

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Speaking to ARA News in Damascus, Syrian opposition activist Adham Halwani said that any peace talks should be preceded by “a real ceasefire” to show serious intention to end the five-year conflict.

“If the Assad regime was serious about seeking a political solution for the conflict, it would have stopped its airstrikes on populated areas across the country. Also, several rebel groups are responsibility for the continuous bloodshed. So there’s no real intention to end the conflict and move toward a political solution,” he said.

Earlier this year, Syrian peace talks broke down due to the escalation of fighting, especially in the divided-city of Aleppo.

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US State Secretary John Kerry said earlier this month that Washington and Damascus ally Moscow had reached a common understanding on the steps needed to get Syria’s peace process back on track. (T/P001/R07)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)