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Khaled Khoja: De Mistura Carts an Iranian Agenda | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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President of the Syrian Opposition, Khaled Khoja


Khaled Khoja

Beirut- The current President of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, Khaled Khoja, accused the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura of endorsing an “Iranian agenda”.

Khoja ensured that the Syrian Opposition will not be participating at the third peace talks held in Geneva, conditioning their participation to the enactment of humanitarian rights’ conditions, including the lifting of blockades and the freeing of those captured.

Furthermore, Khoja, in his statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, expressed his utter surprise at the fact of the UN not being able to enforce humanitarian conditions that could pave the way to a political resolution in Syria. Humanitarian conditions were enlisted within the resolution announced on the evening of launching the Geneva peace talks.

He also added that nothing of the standard measures the Opposition had entailed was realized.

Moreover, Khoja considered that the negotiations were set amid the worsening of both political and field situation in Syria, adding that de Mistura also refused to denote the peace talks as negotiations rather than just mere deliberations.

To Khoja, de Mistura has been dealing with the Syrian crisis lately as if it is a mere diplomatic crisis, besides to pointing out that the context of the UN special envoy’s plan falls clearly within an Iranian framework.

On the other hand, de Mistura declared on Jan. 29 that he was expecting a meeting with the Opposition’s delegation on Sunday. After his meeting with the regime’s delegation, composed of 16 members, and after the subject of terrorism being brought into discussion, de Mistura ensured that counterterrorism ought to be discussed with the UN Security Council.