Syrian opposition’s HNC members head to Geneva

Members of Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) are due to arrive in Geneva today, but it is not clear whether they will participate directly in the talks.

In the absence of the opposition delegation, U.N. officials opened the talks Friday in Geneva.

Talks began with a meeting between the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and Assad regime delegation. 

The HNC, which includes political and military in the Syrian opposition, insists it wants to discuss humanitarian issues before any negotiations.

“They are coming for discussions with de Mistura, with the UN, and not for a direct engagement or negotiation or to start the political negotiation process with the regime,” a source in the HNC said.

“They are coming here just to engage in a discussion with de Mistura after getting some guarantee that the demands or the requests that the opposition, or the HNC, gave – that they will be delivered and accomplished,” the source added.

The group said it had drawn up a list of 3,000 Syrian women and children in Assad regime prisons who should be released.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had made a major push to get the HNC delegation to Geneva, and the group said he had contacted it by phone to urge it to attend.