Russia: Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam shouldn't be included in Syria negotiations
The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeated its firm-held opposition to armed Islamist groups like Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam participating in the Syrian peace talks in Geneva.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russia's TASS news agency that, "Our position of principle is that it is impossible to include terrorist organizations [in the talks]. We are sticking to it."
"Terrorist organizations should not participate in the negotiations. If we talk about the fight against terrorism, it should be built on common principles without double standards and without dividing terrorists in 'good' and 'bad'," she went on to reason.
Saudi Arabia insists that such groups should be represented under the banner of the High Negotiations Committee, a bloc of opposition entities, many of whom are Islamist, which it established last December in an effort to unify the various armed groups fighting the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia has been bombing such groups as part of its efforts to bolster Assad's regime. Jaish al-Islam has a foothold near the Syrian capital Damascus and has been backed by Saudi Arabia. Ahrar al-Sham was part of a coalition group which successfully managed to takeover most of Syria's northwestern Idlib province, including its provincial capital. Russia killed the leader of Jaish al-Islam, Zahran Alloush, in an air strike last December 25.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russia's TASS news agency that, "Our position of principle is that it is impossible to include terrorist organizations [in the talks]. We are sticking to it."
"Terrorist organizations should not participate in the negotiations. If we talk about the fight against terrorism, it should be built on common principles without double standards and without dividing terrorists in 'good' and 'bad'," she went on to reason.
Saudi Arabia insists that such groups should be represented under the banner of the High Negotiations Committee, a bloc of opposition entities, many of whom are Islamist, which it established last December in an effort to unify the various armed groups fighting the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia has been bombing such groups as part of its efforts to bolster Assad's regime. Jaish al-Islam has a foothold near the Syrian capital Damascus and has been backed by Saudi Arabia. Ahrar al-Sham was part of a coalition group which successfully managed to takeover most of Syria's northwestern Idlib province, including its provincial capital. Russia killed the leader of Jaish al-Islam, Zahran Alloush, in an air strike last December 25.