News / Foreign Policy

Kerry welcomes Syrian opposition to Geneva peace talks

Saturday, 30 January 2016 12:50 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 30 January 2016 12:55 AM ]

US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during the inauguration of the Washington Post Headquarters in Washington, DC, January 28, 2016. (AFP photo)

US Secretary of State John Kerry has welcomed the main anti-Syrian government opposition group’s decision to attend the UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva which is aimed at ending five years of deadly conflict in the Arab country.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), a coalition of Syrian opposition groups, had said that it is willing to send “about 30, 35 people” to the negotiations which started on Friday in the Swiss city of Geneva, AFP quoted a group’s unnamed senior delegate as saying.

In a statement on Friday, Kerry welcomed the move, saying "the United States welcomes the important decision by the High Negotiations Committee of the Syrian opposition to attend negotiations hosted by the United Nations in Geneva."

The top US diplomat also called on all the warring parties in Syria to implement the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2254.

The resolution calls for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and the formation of a “credible, inclusive and non-sectarian” government within six months and UN-supervised “free and fair elections” within 18 months.

"The United States further expects that both sides in these negotiations will participate in good faith and achieve early, measurable progress in the days ahead," Kerry added.

The opposition’s negotiation team is expected to join the talks on Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Syria has been combating foreign-backed extremist groups in the country since 2011.

The devastating war has so far claimed the lives of over 260,000 people and displaced nearly half of the country’s population.

Kerry is scheduled to attend a fundraising meeting with donor states in London to boost humanitarian efforts seeking to ease the plight of refugees and displaced people caught up the conflict.

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