Syrian opposition has 'no optimism' for upcoming peace talks

The head of Syria's leading opposition group is sceptical about the latest round of peace talks just days before they are scheduled to begin, according to an interview with Al Araby Al Jadid TV.

Riad Hijab, coordinator of the Saudi-backed Higher Negotiation Committee (HNC) and a former Syrian prime minister, told the TV channel late on Friday that his doubts stem from a lack of "international will for a political transition”.

"There is no international will, especially from the US side, and I do not expect anything to come of the negotiations," Hijab said.

Opposition groups have consistently insisted that any political solution cannot include Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and instead should involve a transitional government.

The HNC will attend the new round of UN-led talks, due to start in Geneva on 9 April, but Hijab said the group “have no optimism concerning the negotiations process".

The sides are deadlocked over the fate of Assad, whom the opposition insists must leave power before a transitional government is agreed.

Assad has said that any transitional government should include both the government and the opposition, without specifying which opposition groups should take part.

The US and Russia, which have pushed the government and opposition to participate in the indirect talks, disagree on Assad's future role.

"We are not afraid of the US-Russian rapprochement," Hijab said. "But we fear the secrecy, the lack of clarity and lack of transparency. We do not know what has been agreed ... what is happening in Syria is a proxy war."

Hijab's comments come as Qatar cast doubts on how long a fragile "cessation of hostilities", in place for more than a month, would last given recent attacks.

Qatar warned on Saturday that Syrian government air strikes on Thursday that killed more than 30 people, including 12 children in a rebel-held town in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus could "torpedo" the delicate ceasefire.

"Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and concern over the massacre by Syrian regime forces targeting civilians in Deir al-Assafir ... in a violation of the cessation of hostilities agreement and related UN Security Council resolutions," the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia support Syrian rebels fighting Assad's Russian- and Iranian-backed government.

The US said Thursday it was "appalled" by the Syrian government air strikes, and France accused Assad's government of violating the ceasefire and trying to undermine efforts by the international community to resolve the conflict.

Qatar urged the UN Security Council to "assume its responsibilities to end these crimes, protect the Syrian people, and prevent [attempts to] undermine chances of reaching a political settlement to the Syrian crisis".