Istanbul: Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday accused the Syrian regime of striking moderate opposition forces in Idlib province near the Turkish border, warning it could torpedo talks aimed at ending the war.
Ankara is working closely on Syria with Russia and Iran, Bashar Al Assad’s main allies, but has stepped up criticism of the regime’s behaviour in recent days.
“Regime forces are striking moderate opposition with the pretext of fighting against Al Nusra [Front],” Mevlut Cavusoglu was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency, referring to the former Al Qaida affiliate.
Idlib province is almost entirely controlled by anti-government forces that are dominated by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) consisting mostly of former Nusra fighters.
“This attitude would scupper the political solution process,” Cavusoglu said.
“The parties that will come together in Sochi should refrain from” any action that could threaten the talks, he warned.
Russia is hoping to hold a Syria peace congress in its Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 29-30.
Meanwhile, US-brokered talks based in Geneva between the regime and the opposition are also going forward, albeit at a stuttering pace.
