MOSCOW (Dispatches) – Talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in the Russian resort city of Sochi entered their second and final day on Tuesday in the hope of paving the way for a peaceful settlement of the conflict gripping the Arab state.
The Syrian Congress of National Dialog started out on Monday and continued on Tuesday. The talks were moderated by Russia and Iran, on the side of Damascus, and Turkey, which aligns itself with several armed opposition groups.
The discussions are meant to build on the results of many rounds of negotiations between Damascus and the opposition, which were held in the Kazakh capital of Astana last year.
Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the Iranian foreign minister’s senior assistant for special political affairs, led Tehran’s delegation in Sochi.
The Astana process came after the guarantor states helped bring a ceasefire to Syria’s second city of Aleppo, and then to entire Syria, which has been witnessing foreign-backed terrorism since 2011.
It resulted in the establishment of four deescalation zones across Syria, and was hailed by the United Nations for its contribution to a parallel process, which the world body has been mediating between Damascus and the oppositionists in Geneva.
Opposition tantrums
One group of opposition representatives, which arrived for the Sochi event from Turkey, refused to leave the airport for the venue, protesting the presence there of Syrian flags and emblems.
It threatened to return to Turkey unless the signs were removed.
In another development, media reports surfaced suggesting the Syrian army has targeted a Turkish military convoy traveling in the Arab country’s northwest with artillery fire.
The sources, including Russia Today Arabic, reported the incident on Tuesday.
One said the convoy, which comprised around 100 military vehicles, including 15 tanks, was heading towards the al-Eis area in the southern suburbs of the city of Aleppo to set up positions there.
The area overlooks the Syrian army’s positions in the strategic al-Hadher area, lending intelligence superiority to any party in its control.
RT Arabic said the convoy came under more than 30 mortar rounds.
The report said the attack took place after the convoy entered the Syrian soil, adding that two Turkish F-16 warplanes began flying over the area following the incident.
Al Mayadeen also reported that the Turkish convoy started returning the fire after deployment close to al-Eis.
Neither Syrian nor Turkish officials have made any comments on the reports yet.