Lavrov: Syrian Opposition Should Leave Regions with Terrorist Positions


Lavrov: Syrian Opposition Should Leave Regions with Terrorist Positions

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian opposition should leave positions of terrorists and disassociate itself from them if it wants to participate in the political process, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We agreed long ago that groups that found themselves on the positions of terrorists but that are not terrorists and want to participate in the political process, should leave the territories of terrorist positions," Lavrov said.

"They should disassociate and physically leave these positions," Lavrov

The minister also accused the United States of not meeting its commitments on using their influence to take away the Syrian opposition from the terrorists’ positions.

"We agreed with the Americans that they will use their influence on these "good opposition members" and will take them out of there so that no one is prevented from destroying the terrorist group Jabhat al-Nusra. The firm promise by the US on carrying out this demarcation has not been fulfilled for two months already," he said.

Lavrov has also noted that Russia is preparing a report to the Security Council of the United Nations with the aim of expanding the list of terrorists in Syria, TASS News Agency reported.

"We are currently collecting information that Jebhat al-Nusra subjugates groups that seemed to have declared truce," Lavrov said, adding that "we will summarize facts and present them to UN Security Council to adjust terrorist lists."

According to the top diplomat, the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva are ongoing and there is no pause despite the announcement that some members of the Riyadh group have left the Swiss city.

"The situation at talks in Geneva could have been much better if one opposition delegation had not left Geneva" he said. "The talks are continuing, and there is no pause."

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura regularly meets with the delegation from the Syrian government as well as that of the so-called Moscow-Cairo platform, the Hmeimim group and some independent opposition members, he added.

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