Head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission Nasr al-Hariri urged on Friday the international community to save the Sochi agreement on northwestern Syria and end the military operations there.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that more than 200 people have been killed and 700 wounded in renewed attacks on the Idlib province.
Earlier this week, Hariri had held talks with UN officials to discuss the latest escalation in Idlib.
The United Nations must play its role, communicate with all parties and urge regime ally Russia, to stop its military campaigns, he demanded.
“We hope the UN does not succumb to the Russian veto because Russia is now part of the conflict,” he urged.
The UN must issue a resolution to counter the veto, he demanded.
Serious resolutions must also be issued to halt the military operation, he added. Efforts must also be exerted in the prisoner file and the political solution.
The Negotiation Commission also met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss Idlib and northern Syria, the political process and efforts to form the constitutional committee.
Turkey was keen on maintaining contact with Russia and respecting the agreements signed between them, revealed Hariri. It was also keen on ending the operation in northwestern Syria, which is a violation of the de-escalation agreement reached in Sochi last year.
He accused the regime of using terrorism to justify its cooperation with Russia and Iran in order to target civilians and capture Idlib.
The United Nations said on Friday at least 18 health centers have been attacked in the past three weeks in Idlib.
While the area is nominally protected by a Russian-Turkish deal agreed in September to avert a new battle, regime forces - backed by Russians - have launched an offensive on the last major opposition stronghold. Some three million civilians are at risk, the UN said.
Acting US Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen said Russia and Syria were responsible for the attacks on the health centers. He said it was “most alarming” that several of the centers attacked were on a list created by Russia and the UN in an attempt to protect them.
On Thursday, Ankara accused the regime of reneging on its promises of a ceasefire despite the agreement.
Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said in a statement on the ministry’s website that an escalation in violence could lead to a humanitarian tragedy.
“The Sochi agreement requires a ceasefire and that is what we want from the Russians. Meetings in Ankara are continuing right now,” he said.
The ministry earlier said a joint working group between Ankara and Moscow had met in the Turkish capital on Thursday and Friday to discuss Idlib, the Sochi agreement and the Astana process - multi-sided efforts to try to provide stability in Syria.
