Armed Syrian opposition & Assad govt reps gather for talks in Kazakhstan

RT News RT LIVE search Menu mobile HomeNews Armed Syrian opposition & Assad govt reps gather for talks in Kazakhstan Published time: 23 Jan, 2017 05:01 Edited time: 23 Jan, 2017 09:20 A leader of Jaysh al-Islam, Mohammed Alloush © RT Negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition groups, which include Jaysh al-Islam, a major armed group, have kicked off in the Kazakh capital of Astana as part of an initiative led by Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Trends Syria unrest Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the talks, stressing that the Syrian conflict could only be solved “via negotiations.” “The current difficult situation in Syria has drawn the attention of the entire world. I have to admit that the bloody conflict, which has continued for about six years, has brought nothing but misery and sorrow to the holy land where different civilizations and cultures lived,” he said. The rebel groups told Reuters the opposition and Syrian government will not have face-to-face negotiations in Astana. However, the live broadcast from the opening remarks showed the presence of Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, the leader of Jaysh al-Islam, which is a coalition of Islamist and Salafist units operating in the Damascus area, particularly in the city of Douma and region of Eastern Ghouta. A leader of Jaysh al-Islam, Mohammed Alloush © RT The head of the Russian delegation in Astana and the Russian president’s special envoy to Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentiev, confirmed on Sunday that the negotiations would be attended by delegations of the host nations – Russia, Iran, and Turkey – as well a UN delegation headed by the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and the US ambassador to Kazakhstan, who has been granted observer status in Astana.