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Syria opposition chief Hijab arrives for Geneva talks

Hijab arrives for Geneva talks

February 03, 2016 | 07:01 PM
Riad Hijab is expected to immediately join a tense internal HNC meeting in which the group will decide its next steps in the talks.

 Syrian opposition chief Riad Hijab arrived in Switzerland on Wednesday afternoon, his grouping said, in a move that could rekindle troubled UN-brokered peace talks.

"Riad Hijab has arrived in Geneva," the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said on its official Twitter account.

Hijab is expected to immediately join a tense internal HNC meeting in which the group will decide its next steps in the talks. 

His arrival was seen as a potentially positive sign because of the weight he carries with the HNC, a Saudi-backed opposition alliance that is opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. 

"With Hijab here, the HNC can better demonstrate a unified position in representing the opposition," a Western diplomat said in Geneva on condition of anonymity.

"This is a very complicated process and it's going to require all the actors to remain in constant dialogue," the diplomat said.

February 03, 2016 | 07:01 PM