ARA News

Qamishli, Syria – The United Nations announced Friday that consultations on the Syrian crisis will be launched next Monday in Geneva, as the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called on many parties to participate in these consultations, which will take place separately, in closed between the delegations of the Syrian regime and the opposition.

Ahmed Fawzi, a U.N. official spokesman, said that the Syrian parties to participate will be from the government, the opposition and civil society, as well as regional and international stakeholders.

According to Fawzi, there will be no interviews or press statements during the consultations. 

“Media outlets will not be allowed to these consultations,” he said.

Speaking to ARA News, member of the Liberal Lawyers Assembly in Syria, Mazen Khalil said that Geneva talks are being held as an attempt by the international community to ease the sufferings of the Syrian people “after more than four years of crisis that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and displaced millions”. 

“The Syrian people want a secular state for all sects, and the evacuation of all foreign militants to quench the voice of the weapon. Certainly, ending the Assad regime will create the right atmosphere for the Syrians aspiration of building a modern democratic state,” Khalil said.

Geneva was the site of the second round of negotiations between the Syrian regime and the opposition in 2014, but was unable to produce any tangible results.

Reporting by: Mir Yaqoob

Source: ARA News