Syrian opposition names delegates to Geneva talks

By Mohamed Misto

ANKARA (AA) – The Syrian opposition have named delegates to next week’s UN peace talks in Geneva, according to opposition sources.

Mohamed Sabra, a lawyer, was chosen as the chief negotiator during the Geneva talks on Feb. 20, sources from the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces told Anadolu Agency on Saturday.

Nasr al-Hariri, a Syrian politician, was named as head of the 20-strong opposition delegation to the talks, the sources added on condition of anonymity because they were unauthorized to speak to media.

The delegates were selected during a meeting of the Syrian coalition in Saudi capital Riyadh on Friday.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests – which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings – with unexpected ferocity.

Late last year, a cease-fire agreement brokered by Turkey and Russia went into effect across war-torn Syria.

On Jan. 23 and 24, peace talks were held in Kazakh capital Astana at which participants discussed means of consolidating the cease-fire.

Led by Turkey and Russia, the talks were attended by representatives of Iran and the U.S., along with those of the Syrian regime and opposition.

In Astana, Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed to establish a joint monitoring mechanism to ensure implementation of the cease-fire.