No submission by opposition in Astana talks - spokesperson

Opposition delegations’ spokesperson Dr. Yahya al-Aridi spoke about the preparations for Astana talks in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).

Al-Aridi said that opposition met with the Turkish side ahead of the talks and the outcomes were “fruitful” regarding the goal behind them.

“We are here to put an end to the bloodshed and to the brutality being perpetrated by the regime and Iran in Syria,” al-Aridi said.

“The other side is here to get some sort of submission, the thing that side would not get anyway,” he added.

The spokesperson of opposition’s delegation stressed that two main issues are to be addressed in the upcoming talks. First, the ceasefire to fully cover all Syria, especially since Assad regime and its allies are still bombarding certain areas. Second, the “humanitarian dimension” which includes lifting the siege laid by Assad regime and allies on many areas, in addition to stopping the ethnic cleansing being carried out by them.

“Finalizing these two dimensions could lead to a certain statement or a certain powerful paper that could be taken as preparing the route for the final settlement, political one, which is in accordance with the Geneva communique of 2012 which talks about full political transition,” he told AA.

“We are not here to just be with those who are killing the Syrian people,” he specified

“Now, if the 30th of December agreement is confirmed, guaranteed, and if the areas that are still being bombarded by the regime and Iran all covered, at that point we can say that something is achieved,” he indicated.

Representatives from the opposition delegation and Assad regime arrived Sunday in the Kazakh capital, Astana, for Monday’s meeting.

A countrywide ceasefire in Syria was declared on Thursday (29 December 2016), after Turkey, Russia and opposition fighting groups reached a deal in the Turkish capital Ankara. According to the deal, Turkey and Russia would act as guarantor countries for the implementation of the ceasefire.