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Conflict in Syria

Syrian opposition member: No-fly zone over Aleppo means repetition of Libya tragedy

One of the leaders of Syria’s opposition says that blocking UN SC resolutions on Syria does not mean end of political process

© AP Photo/ Manu Brabo

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/. The French-drafted UN resolution calling for a no-fly zone over Aleppo would lead to a repetition of the Libyan scenario while the Russian proposal envisaging the exit of Jabhat al-Nusra from the city could clear the way for political settlement, one of the leaders of Syria’s opposition Moscow-Cairo group told TASS.

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"There was sense in both drafts of the UN Security Council resolutions," Qadri Jamil said. "The meaning of the first draft - the French one - was in the repetition of the Libyan tragedy. The second draft was indeed designed for assisting the political process," he said. "If Jabhat al-Nusra indeed exits eastern Aleppo, this will ease the humanitarian situation and clear the way for further talks."

Blocking the UN Security resolutions on Aleppo on October 8 does not stop the political settlement process in Syria. In this situation it is necessary to intensify efforts to resume the talks in Geneva, Qadri Jamil added,

"This will effectively slow down the pace of the political process, but I am sure this does not cancel this vector," he said. "Therefore, we need to exert even more effort to resume the political process, above all, the negotiations in Geneva."

Jamil added that the Moscow-Cairo group is permanently in touch with the office of UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, regarding the possibility of resuming the intra-Syrian talks. "Contacts with de Mistura’s office have never stopped, we are looking for options in this situation," he added.

On October 8, France submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for a ban on flights over Aleppo. However, Russia vetoed it. Then the US, the UK and France came out against the Russian draft resolution, which envisaged, in accordance with de Mistura’s initiative, the withdrawal of Jabhat al-Nusra forces from eastern Aleppo.

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