Syrian opposition faction leader warns Geneva talks may break down

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM The UN-hosted talks between Damascus and the Syrian opposition in Geneva may collapse, which would severely stonewall the peace process in the war-torn country and exacerbate security issues in the region and around the world, head of the Syrian opposition's Moscow group, Qadri Jamil, said on Tuesday, according to TASS .

"The Geneva process is a crucial mechanism for implementing the UN Security Council's Resolution 2254 (on Syria)," Jamil said. "Certainly, the Geneva process may fail, but this does not mean that the whole peace process would collapse. The Geneva process is only one of the mechanisms for enacting Resolution 2254."

Jamil stressed that although the situation is complicated, the Geneva process is still ongoing.

"The countries have to realize that there is no other way to resolve the Syrian crisis," he said. "If the parties refuse to hold the Geneva talks, this will be very dangerous for Syria and the whole region as well as for the entire world."

The Syrian politician also noted that the latest round of intra-Syrian talks on May 16-19 produced some results. "The general feeling, as we understand, is progress towards setting up joint opposition groups. Then it is possible to create an inclusive joint delegation of the opposition comprising all three groups," he explained.