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Damascus won’t accept unilateral decisions on Syria’s federalization — envoy

Jaafari is confident the mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire in Syria will be implemented
Head of the Syrian government delegation to Astana talks, Bashar Jaafari EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO
Head of the Syrian government delegation to Astana talks, Bashar Jaafari
© EPA/IGOR KOVALENKO

ASTANA, January 24. /TASS/. The decisions on Syria’s federalization cannot be adopted unilaterally, the head of the Syrian government delegation to Astana talks, Bashar Jaafari, said.

"The decisions on federalization may be adopted only in a democratic way, taking into account the opinion of all Syrians, not certain groups," Jaafari said.

The Astana talks on Syria were tasked to secure ceasefire in that country and concrete results are committed to paper in the final trilateral statement of Russia, Iran and Turkey that was supported by other participants in the discussions, Jaafari said.

"The key task of the Astana talks was to secure ceasefire," he said. "This task is reflected in the final statement that was supported by all the participants."

According to al-Jaafari, although the final document was discussed by all the parties to the talks, it was signed only by the Russia, Iranian and Turkish delegations. "It was the statement of these countries," he said.

Jaafari is confident the mechanism for monitoring the ceasefire in Syria will be implemented.

"The mechanism enshrined in the final statement will be implemented," he said. "This will be done step by step, the process will involve experts," Jaafari added.

The Syrian government is prepared to talks in any formats for the sake of putting an end to the bloodshed, including at the same table with the opposition:

"This is not the first time we sit with other Syrians," he said. "We did it in Moscow, we did it in Geneva. Whatever it takes us, we will do it to rescue our own country and our own people. But we will to it according to specific framework, according to specific agendas and according to specific meetings. We don’t do it blindly, we do it after we consider the framework deeply and thoroughly."

The negotiations on Syria in Astana and Geneva are two different processes. The first is aimed at consolidating the truce and the second - at the political settlement in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, Bashar Jaafari has emphasized:

"Astana is Astana and Geneva is Geneva," he said. "Astana has only one goal - consolidating the regime of the cessation of hostilities. This is the main goal of Astana meeting."