GENEVA (Sputnik) – On February 22, Syrian President Bashar Assad issued a decree calling for the parliamentary elections to be held on April 13. The elections have already been called "illegitimate" by Syrian opposition's High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
"We believe these elections are not realistic. We need political process to proceed, and we believe elections should not constitute an obstacle for it," Randa Kassis told reporters.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with forces loyal to Assad fighting against numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
Geneva is currently hosting proximity talks between the government's delegation and three Syrian opposition delegations: the HNC, which was formed in Saudi Arabia in December, the delegation formed following talks in Moscow and Cairo and the group formed after opposition talks at Hmeimim air base in Syria.
