Iraq News

Syria Sochi congress opens despite last-minute setbacks

Russia's showpiece congress aimed at bringing Syria's seven-year war to an end opened on Tuesday (January 30th) despite boycotts by the main opposition group, as well as opposition fighters pulling out at the last minute, AFP reported.

Regime-backer Moscow has invited 1,600 delegates to the meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as part of a broader push to consolidate its influence in the Middle East and start hammering out a political solution to the conflict.

The main aim of the talks is to establish a committee to create a post-war constitution for Syria with UN backing, according to a draft statement seen by AFP.

An opening speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was delayed by two hours because of ongoing negotiations.

Representatives of opposition groups flew into Sochi from Turkey late Monday but refused to leave the airport after seeing the symbol of the congress featured only the Syrian regime flag, a source said.

The source said Russian hosts had promised to change the symbol, which was displayed on posters in the airport as well as billboards on the road towards Sochi, and in the congress hall itself.

Lavrov and Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke twice on Tuesday morning in a bid to resolve the issue, Artyom Kozhin of the Russian foreign ministry said.

But after almost 12 hours of negotiations some 80 opposition fighters, politicians and activists refused to participate in the congress and prepared to return to Turkey, said opposition fighter Ahmad al-Saoud.

The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), the country's main opposition group, said following two days of UN-led talks in Vienna last week it would not attend the Sochi congress.

The SNC accused Assad and his Russian backers of continuing to rely on military might and showing no willingness to enter into honest negotiations.

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