Syrian Negotiation Commission Hopes Astana Guarantors Advance Political Process - Member

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Syrian Negotiation Commission Hopes Astana Guarantors Advance Political Process - Member

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2018) The Syrian opposition is hopeful that guarantor states of the Astana format talks on Syria will advance the political process aimed at ending the conflict in the country, a representative of the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) and member of the political committee of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (SOC) told Sputnik.

"Astana should be keen on stopping the violence, sustaining ceasefire, trying to reach a complete countrywide ceasefire but also not to make any obstacles for the political process and efforts of other countries," Hadi al-Bahra said on Friday. "And they should play a more active role to reinvigorate the political process in Geneva."

US Syria envoy James Jeffrey earlier this week said the Astana format can be discontinued if a constitutional committee is not convened by December 14.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu rejected US allegations that the Astana process had failed.

The Astana process, al-Bahra explained, was successful in creating safe areas especially the outcome of the latest Sochi agreement on Idlib. He also said the continuity of this agreement is very important, but Astana guarantors until now failed to create enough momentum to push the political process forward.

Russia's special presidential envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, said, after the latest round of Astana talks last week between Syrian government and armed opposition, that the constitutional committee was being formed.

The Astana-format talks have been an important part of international efforts aimed at settling the conflict in Syria. It is during the Astana talks that the memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria was signed in 2017.