Gatilov: Terrorist Groups Must Be Excluded From Opposition Delegation to Syria Talks

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that the opposition delegation to the January 25 intra-Syria talks must not include terrorist organizations such as Jaysh al-Islam.

GENEVA- The opposition delegation to the January 25 intra-Syria talks must not include terrorist organizations such as Jaysh al-Islam, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told journalists, Sputnik reported.

“We believe that the opposition delegation must not be represented by terrorist elements but the forces that are actually standing for a political settlement,” Gatilov said on Wednesday, adding that groups such as Jaysh al-Islam back a military solution to the Syrian crisis.

According to Gatilov, Russia has not yet seen the list of opposition groups to be included in the delegation that will take part in the January 25 talks and it is not clear if it will include any terrorist organizations.

The Russian deputy foreign minister stressed that an opposition delegation must take part in the January 25 talks in order for the interests of the entire Syrian population to be reflected in the political process.

“Otherwise it would be hard to expect that all the eventual decisions made as a result of the negotiation process would be fulfilled by all sides,” Gatilov said.

He added that a Damascus delegation has already voiced its firm decision to take part in the January 25 talks.

According to Gatilov, there is no need for the foreign ministers of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to attend the negotiations. ISSG, which consists of multiple countries including Russia and the United States, was formed last year with the aim to resolve the crisis in Syria.

The so-called “Jaysh al-Islam” and the “Islamic State” (ISIL, also known as Daesh) are terrorist groups banned in a range of countries including Russia.

On Wednesday, Russian, US and UN diplomats took part in a meeting in preparation for a major intra-Syrian conference in Geneva on January 25 where opposition representatives will meet with Syrian authorities.

Several groups of Syrian external “opposition” met in the Saudi capital Riyadh last December despite protests from Damascus. They formed a council that hopes to handpick delegates to represent the opposition at the upcoming talks with Damascus representatives.

H.M