GENEVA, March 28. /TASS/. Today’s meeting of the Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) with United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura centered round issues of security during the transition period, HNC’s chief negotiator at the Geneva intra-Syrian talks, Nasr al-Hariri, said on Tuesday.
"Today, we focused on issues of security during the transition period to secure smooth work of a transitional administration," he said. "The U.N. envoy was positive about our ideas on that matter."
However, he stressed that the key topic at the talks for the HNC is political transition. "Many other issues, including those of security, are linked to it," he added.
Russia's part
"Despite Russia’s non-observance of its liabilities as a guarantor state, we still expect it to play a major role in obliging the regime and Iran’s armed groups to fulfill their liabilities under the ceasefire agreement," al-Hariri stated.
When asked by TASS whether the HNC plans to hold consultations with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, who is currently in Geneva, al-Hariri said the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. "Our priority is to stop sufferings of the Syrian people through commitment to the ceasefire," he said.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov arrived in Geneva on Monday evening. On Tuesday, he has had a series of consultations with the parties to the intra-Syrian talks and with United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.