China urges Syrian opposition group to attend peace talks without preconditions
January 8, 2016, 6:15 am

President of Syria’s main opposition National Coalition Khaled Khoja(L) delivers a speech at the press conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 5, 2015 [Xinhua]

The SNC is resolutely opposed to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad continuing in Damascus.

China hopes Syria’s opposition including the National Coalition can seize the opportunity and support the UN’s peace-making efforts in the war-torn country, Wang told Khaled Khoja.

“We expect the Syrian government and opposition to exchange views within the framework of UN resolutions, cement understanding and trust, and seek acceptable solutions,” Wang said.

China has repeatedly called for a political resolution and warned that military action cannot end the crisis. Khoja’s visit comes two weeks after Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem visited China.

The Chinese Foreign Minister during talks with Khoja also noted Syrian Foreign Minister Muallem’s positive remarks on joining UN-led negotiations during his visit to China.

“The UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2254 on Syria has outlined the direction in political settlement of the Syria issue,” Wang said.

Khoja, a member of Syria’s Turkmen minority who is politically close to Turkey, was invited by the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs

In Beijing, Khoja was quoted by Chinese state agency Xinhua as saying the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) supports UNSC Resolution 2254, and is committed to finding a political solution. He advocated the Syrian government and opposition taking measures to gradually build trust through dialogue and negotiation.

Wang said China stands for “fairness” and is committed to helping facilitate peace talks in the Middle East.

“The final criteria for solving hot issues is whether the solution would bring peace to people and meet the overall and long-term interests of countries involved,” he said.

Wang also said China would offer humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees.

Both China and Russia have insisted at the UNSC and at other global forums that insistence on removing Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad as a precursor for peace talks is undermining the fight against terrorism.

Among the many obstacles to reaching the peace deal may be determining which of the disparate rebel groups would participate in the talks in January and whether they would come to the talks table without a guarantee of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s exit.

In a joint oped in the Guardian in November, Khaled Khoja president of the Syrian National Coalition reiterated the group’s opposition to Assad.

“Let us be clear: Assad never has been, nor will ever be, an alternative to Isis. He will never bring peace to Syria, nor will he ever be capable of taking on extremists,” wrote Khoja.

TBP and Agencies