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Syrian Hmeymim Group Ready to Partake in Local Reconciliation Committees

© REUTERS / Omar SanadikiA Syrian national flag hangs in a damaged neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria
A Syrian national flag hangs in a damaged neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria - Sputnik International
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Official representative of the Hmeymim group, which unites Syria's internal opposition forces, Mais Krydee called proposition of Russia to establish local reconciliation committees in Syria "new step toward reconciliation in Syria."

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Hmeymim group, which unites Syria's internal opposition forces, stands ready to field its candidates for local reconciliation committees if invited to do so, official representative of the group Mais Krydee told Sputnik on Friday.

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On Thursday, the Russian reconciliation center in Syria proposed that local reconciliation committees be established in the country's de-escalation zones, and that these groups be comprised of members of both government and armed opposition.

"I think it is important as a new step toward reconciliation in Syria. We are supporting the process. We will be ready to take part in these committees if invited," Krydee said.

Samir Aita, a member of the Syrian Democratic Forum opposition party, told Sputnik that his party welcomed the idea of establishing local reconciliation committees as long as these bodies comprised "independent and respected" members of both government and opposition, who could help create conditions for the political settlement.

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"Local de-escalations can stop locally the war for a while. But they cannot alone put the country on the path of turning the page of war and rebuilding peace and trust at the country level. The proposal to bring nationally trusted, independent and respected personalities, especially from the opposition, as mediators, could help ending the war, creating the conditions for a political solution," Aita said.

Aita noted that carrying out this plan would present a real challenge.

In May, Iran, Russia and Turkey, the three guarantor states of the Syrian ceasefire regime, signed a memorandum on the establishment of four de-escalation zones at the Syrian settlement talks in Astana. As of today, the guarantor states have managed to reach agreements with opposition groups on creating three zones, with the third agreed upon in late July. The consultations on the fourth safe zone in the Idlib province are ongoing.

Syria has been engulfed in a civil war for over six years with the government troops fighting against numerous opposition factions as well as terrorist groups such as the Daesh and the Jabhat Fatah al Sham, both outlawed in Russia.

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