Damascus gives positive assessment of Moscow peace talks

Syria's deputy foreign minister has assesses as positive the recent round of talks between Damascus and the opposition groups in the Russian capital city of Moscow.

In an article published on Lebanese al-Binaa newspaper on Saturday, Faisal al-Miqdad said the negotiations have created an atmosphere of hope and optimism among all parties which are seeking to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict.

“The talks were more organized and featured by seriousness, yet, they resulted in a consensus by all participants on points which were an issue of disagreement between the government and the opposition sides since the outbreak of the crisis in Syria,” Miqdad said.

The Syrian official also urged the opposition parties to consider the rising threat of terrorist groups in the Arab country, including ISIL and the al-Nusra Front, saying the Takfiri extremists pose a great danger to the security of the region and the whole world.

Miqdad also hailed Russia’s efforts to mediate peace talks and end the bloodshed in Syria.

“The Syrians, with the help of Russians, are the only ones who are able to restore security and stability to the Homeland through an inter-Syrian dialogue,” he pointed out.

On Friday, Qadri Jamil, the leader of the opposition Popular Front of Change and Liberation, also described the Moscow talks as positive, but stressed that there still remain differences to overcome.

“Overall, we can say that the conclusion is positive…. We can say that we have completed more than 50 percent of the tasks,” Jamil said, adding that the negotiating sides were “closer than ever” to reaching an agreement on major sticking points.

The second round of the inter-Syrian negotiations aimed at finding a solution to a four-year conflict in the Arab country were held in Moscow on April 6-9. The city hosted a previous round of negotiations from January 26 to 29 in which the parties agreed on the general outlines of a political framework to settle the disputes.

Syrian sources revealed after the talks on Thursday that the two sides have agreed on a six-point plan proposed by Vitaly Naumkin, a Russian official mediating the negotiations.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence, which has been fueled by Takfiri groups, has so far claimed the lives of over 215,000 people, according to reports.

Takfiri terrorist groups, with members from several Western countries, control swathes of land in Syria and Iraq, and have been carrying out horrific acts of violence such as public decapitations and crucifixions against all communities such as Shias, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians.

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