Syria on Thursday accused the opposition High Negotiations Committee of taking UN-backed peace talks “hostage” over its refusal to include terrorism on the agenda, saying the HNC would be responsible if negotiations fail.
“Progress in the Geneva round must not be held hostage by the Riyadh platform,” lead Syrian negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari told reporters, referring to the Saudi-backed HNC, vowing the opposition “will be responsible for any failure of the Geneva talks”.
The HNC said Wednesday that terrorism could not be added to the faltering talks.
The opposition has charged that Damascus fixates on the role of jihadists in the conflict to distract from discussions on political transition and organising elections in the war-ravaged country.
“We will not deal with it, and if (UN mediator Staffan de Mistura) adds it in any time we will not deal with it or discuss it,” HNC delegation chief Yehya Kodmani told reporters on Wednesday.
Jaafari said that answer “did not come as a surprise”, in part because “a lot of the members of the HNC are considered terrorists”, a charge he has levelled in previous rounds.
The issue has overshadowed the Geneva talks, in particular after a suicide assault in Syria’s third-largest city of Homs last weekend which killed dozens of people.
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