REUTERS/Hosam Katan
Representatives of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group have sent Russia a proposal to hold talks on Syrian crisis in Cairo, Egypt, one of the founders of the FSA told RIA Novosti, adding that the opposition is ready for the dialogue with Moscow.
“The Free Syrian Army is ready for dialogue with Russia. We need to organize a new meeting, so that we can present our position and discuss our collective actions,” said Fahad Al-Masri, the coordinator of National Salvation Front.
According to the FSA representative, both sides will discuss how exactly Moscow can help the Free Syrian Army during the meeting.
“We have proposed to hold the meeting in Cairo, Egypt, but haven’t received an answer yet. We haven’t proposed any dates but announced our readiness for the meeting. And I believe that it is in the interests of Russia and FSA to hold this meeting as soon as possible,” the FSA representative said.
However, despite calls for negotiations, Masri accused Russia of carrying out airstrikes on “Syrian provinces, in particular the Homs province, where there are many FSA divisions.”
Masri stated that if Russia “continues the bombing,” it will “weaken“ the FSA and will “strengthen” terrorists and Islamists.
Moscow launched airstrikes targeting positions of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in Syria on September 30 following a formal request from President Bashar Assad. As of October 23, the Russian air force has destroyed 819 IS targets in 934 sorties, according to Defence Ministry.