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Moscow platform calls to organize meeting of all three opposition platforms

It should be one delegation, not necessarily a unified one, leader of the Moscow platform’s delegation Hamza Monzer said

GENEVA, February 26. /TASS/. The Moscow platform of the Syrian opposition calls to convene a meeting of the three Syrian opposition platforms to form one delegation, Hamza Monzer, the leader of the Moscow platform’s delegation, said on Sunday after consultations with United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

"Another track is a UN-backed political process and direct talks between the government and the opposition. And an issue of forming one delegation that would include all," he said and called on other opposition platforms to hold a meeting with an aim of forming one delegation.

"I would like to stress it should be one but not unified delegation. And all this should be done in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254," he stressed.

In his words, certain process on that issue has already been reached. "We are taking effort to hold further consultations with other platforms," he added.

Anti-terrorist efforts

The Moscow platform of the Syrian opposition thinks issues of anti-terrorist efforts is to be discussed at the Geneva talks, Hamza Monzer said.

"One of the key [settlement] mechanisms is struggle against Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia) and other terrorist groups," he said. "It should be done by means of calling on the international community to exert pressure on the countries that support terrorism financially, logistically and in other ways.".

Direct talks

The intra-Syrian talks in Geneva should be direct and involve the government delegation and one opposition delegation, Hamza Monzer said.

He said that along with the topic of anti-terrorist efforts, the Geneva talks are to focus on a UN-brokered political process by means of direct talks between the government and one opposition delegation that is to include all representatives.

Meeting with HNC

Hamza Monzer said that representatives of the Moscow platform of the Syrian opposition may meet with the delegation of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) on February 27.

"We are taking effort for that," he said. "It is not ruled out that such a meeting may take place tomorrow."