• Syrian Opposition Group Rejects Aleppo Freeze Plan | Al Akhbar English
    http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/syrian-opposition-group-rejects-aleppo-freeze-plan

    Last week, representatives from the Coalition and from the domestic National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change (NCCDC) met in Paris.

    The NCCDC, which is also known as the National Coordination Body, is part of the country’s small so-called “tolerated” opposition, operating inside Syria under tight restrictions.

    The two sides agreed on a joint draft road map for the first time based on UN Security Council resolutions on Syria and the so-called Geneva communique that emerged from peace talks in the Swiss city in 2012, which called for a transitional governing body and an end to the brutal conflict.

    In a statement, the National Coalition said the document “specifies that the primary goal of negotiations with the Assad regime is to establish a civil, democratic, pluralistic system that ensures equal rights and duties for all Syrians.”

    A key sticking point in peace talks has been the future of Assad. The Coalition insists he must step down, while the NCCDC has called for a transitional body without referring specifically to Assad’s role.