There are currently no conditions for direct contacts between Syrian govt, opposition - Gatilov
ST. PETERSBURG. May 19 (Interfax) - Direct negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition are currently impossible because opposition activists have no unified platform and delegation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said.
"Unfortunately, there are currently no conditions for direct contacts, although we constantly talk about it and believe that, when it comes to serious negotiations between the parties, they can only be conducted on condition of direct contacts between a Syrian government delegation and an opposition delegation," Gatilov told reporters in St. Petersburg on Thursday.
He said the problem is that there is still no unity in the opposition. "It has no unified platform, unified delegation, and it is represented by several groups. That makes it impossible to begin direct negotiations," Gatilov said.
Gatilov also said Russia supports Kurds' participation in the negotiation process, but that this is prevented by the position of Turkey. "Unfortunately, it all comes down to the position of Turkey, which flatly opposes Kurds' participation in the negotiation process and is cultivating this idea in the opposition part of the Syrian delegation, down to making ultimatums that the so-called Riyadh opposition group will leave the negotiations if Kurds participate in the negotiations," he said.
Gatilov said Kurds "have real military power" and control some 15% of the territory of Syria. "We believe that Kurds should be invited to the next round [of the negotiations] when it is held. In any case, Mr. de Mistura also generally shares our position and believes that Kurds should, of course, become part of the negotiation process when the future state system of Syria, the constitution, the creation of an interim administration are discussed," he said.