29-03-2024 02:42 AM Jerusalem Timing

Syrian Opposition Factions Resume Riyadh Meeting on Peace Talks

Syrian Opposition Factions Resume Riyadh Meeting on Peace Talks

A group of Syria’s opposition resumed discussions in the Saudi capital on Wednesday to decide whether to join peace talks in Geneva.

Syria opposition talks in RiyadhA group of Syria's opposition resumed discussions in the Saudi capital on Wednesday to decide whether to join peace talks in Geneva.

Speaking to AFP in Riyadh, spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Monzer Makhous, said the talks could last "perhaps all day".

United Nations-brokered talks, now scheduled to begin on Friday, have been delayed since Monday over who will represent the opposition.

The Riyadh-backed grouping insists it should be the sole opposition delegation.

But several opposition figures who do not belong to the body told AFP on Tuesday they had been invited to the talks.

A source close to the Riyadh meeting said the body had received invitations to Geneva, but discussion on whether to participate was ongoing.

"The response will be a request for clarifications and not an acceptance or rejection," he told AFP, adding that the body wanted to know who else had been invited and under what terms, as well as what would be discussed.

HNC member Salem al-Meslet said the "climate is positive".

The HNC was seeking "clarifications (from the UN) concerning some issues, particularly humanitarian issues", he said.

The office of UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said it had issued invitations to the talks but declined to say who had been invited to represent Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition groups.