Opposition unveils post-Assad peace plan

Syria’s main opposition bloc has put forward a plan for a political transition and a ceasefire to end more than five years of civil war in the country. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said yesterday that the proposed process would start with six months of negotiations aimed at setting up a transitional administration made up […]

Syria’s main opposition bloc has put forward a plan for a political transition and a ceasefire to end more than five years of civil war in the country.
The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said yesterday that the proposed process would start with six months of negotiations aimed at setting up a transitional administration made up of figures from the opposition, the government and civil society.
President Bashar al-Assad would be required to leave office at the end of those six months, the bloc, which represents Syria’s political and armed opposition factions, said at a meeting in London.
The transitional body would then run the country for 18 months, after which there would be elections.
Chief opposition negotiator Riyad Hijab, who defected from the government in 2012 after being appointed prime minister, said the HNC would reject any agreement struck by Russia and the US if it largely differed from the HNC’s terms.