MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States is hampering the resolution of the Syrian crisis, trying to change the situation in the country using its influence on groups affiliated with the Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front) terrorist organization, Qadri Jamil, one of the leaders of Moscow-Cairo opposition group, said.
"The United States say they have no influence on armed groups that are cooperating with terrorists from the Jabhat al-Nusra group. But, of course, this is not the reality. The United States is influencing the situation on the battlefield through its allies such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia, trying to change it, which would give it a trump card in the negotiations," Jamil said in an interview with the Russian Izvestia newspaper.
According to the opposition leader, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura could call a new round of Syria peace talks sooner and the United States needs to accelerate the political dialogue on Syria as well, as bidding on a change on the balance of power in Syria and trying to resolve the crisis militarily will not work.
On Monday, opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) General Coordinator Riyad Hijab demanded at a meeting with de Mistura that the United Nations adopt a new strategy to advance the peace process in Syria.
The Geneva talks on Syrian reconciliation were put on hold in early June until the end of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan after the latest round ended in April.
The participants of the UN-mediated talks in Geneva include the Syrian government representatives and three opposition groups — the Riyadh-formed HNC, the Moscow-Cairo and the Hmeimim groups. At the latest round of talks in Geneva, the HNC walked out of negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting a number of opposition factions and extremist groups. On February 27, a US-Russia brokered ceasefire came into force in Syria. Terrorist groups such as Islamic State (IS, also known as Daesh), as well as Jabhat al-Nusra (Nusra Front), both outlawed in Russia and a range of other states, are not part of the deal.
