UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The Syrian High Negotiating Committee representing the government opposition bloc has reached a multi-phase vision for a peaceful political transition in the country, Syrian High Negotiations Committee coordinator Dr. Riad Hijab said on Monday.
"The High Negotiating Commission has submitted its vision for the future of Syria through negotiations which paves the road for transitional period which starts with the departure of [Syrian President] Bashar Assad and his clique," Dr. Hijab told international delegates in an event on the sidelines of the United Nations.
"The second phase is the transitional period and that phase should last a year and a half," Hijab stated.
The third phase is the establishment of a constitutional declaration to form a temporary government including a military council and a constitutional court.
Hijab noted that the ultimate aim is to hold presidential, parliamentary and local elections to form an inclusive Syrian government.
The declaration by the Syrian High Negotiating Committee reaffirms the commitments of the international community reached in 2015 to work toward a political transition in Syria after five years of civil war.
Representatives from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and the United States attended the meeting to endorse the vision put forth by the Syrian opposition.