Syrian opposition member offers Kazakhstan as venue for intra-Syrian consultations

MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Kazakhstan might play a mediatory role in settling the conflict in Syria, Randa Kassis, the leader of Syria’s Movement for the Pluralistic Society, told a news conference in Moscow on Thursday. "Kazakhstan is a neutral state. It has good relations with Syria, with members of the United Nations Security Council," she said. "I think Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev could receive Syrian representatives in his country." "I think representative of the opposition and external players would accept Kazakhstan’s mediatory role," she underscored. She said Syria’s opposition might meet in Kazakhstan ahead of another round of consultations with the Syrian authorities. "Such meeting might focus on a roadmap on settlement to be later discussed at another meeting in Moscow," Kassis noted. "We have already received an approval concerning a visit to Kazakhstan of a working group of about 20-30 participants." Kassis told TASS Kazakhstan had been chosen as a venue for consultations thanks, in particular, to Astana’s good relations with Turkey, which has influence on the National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces /the National Coalition is not taking part in the Moscow intra-Syrian consultations - TASS/. Kassis did not rule out that such meeting might involve representatives of armed opposition, who were not considered terrorists, since "sooner or later a dialogue with them will be needed." Read more