Syrian Hmeymim Opposition Want Consideration for Vice-President Roles

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Members of Syria’s so-called Hmeymim opposition group should be included in the list of candidates for the posts of the vice-presidents in the transitional government, Tarek Ahmad, a member of Hmeymim, told Sputnik on Thursday.

The proposition to appoint deputies to Syrian President Bashar Assad was made by Syrian opposition's Moscow platform. The arrangement, which enables the formation of a transitional governing body, allegedly received a positive response from UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. The Riyadh-formed High Negotiations Council opposition delegation, however, ruled out both proposals, saying that Assad must go, and it is the "red line."

"The main criteria for choosing a candidate should be whether he is representing the Syrian people. In Syria we have different political parties and as representatives of the big Syrian political parties, Hmeymim delegates should be added to a list of candidates," Ahmad, who is also a member of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), said.

According to a proposal there should be five vice-presidents in Syria’s transitional government, Ahmad noted. If this proposal is approved, two of the candidates would have to represent opposition, two would be chosen out of those loyal to the government and one would have to be neutral, he said.

The creation of a transitional government was a divisive topic for the opposition and government negotiators at the latest round of the Syrian settlement talks in Geneva in April.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups. A US-Russia-brokered ceasefire came into force across Syria on February 27, but it does not apply to terrorist organizations active in the country.