Syrian Negotiator From Jaish al-Islam Rebel Says Going To Geneva Talks

Beirut: Senior Syrian opposition negotiator Mohamed Alloush representing Jaish al-Islam (Islam Army), a major rebel group, said on Sunday he was heading to Geneva to join his delegation and show that Syrian authorities did not want an political settlement.

Alloush told Reuters "the regime has not implemented any measure of the goodwill steps" which the Saudi-backed main opposition group was demanding, such as halting bombardment and allowing humanitarian aid convoys into besieged rebel-held area.

"It's necessary for me to come to Geneva to show the world who is the terrorist who destroyed the country and displaced its people in documents and figures," he said.

Jaish al-Islam, the most powerful group in the Eastern Ghouta district of Damascus, is deemed a terrorist group by President Bashar al-Assad's government and his ally Russia.

The armed group is among the few major rebel groups that are represented in the High Negotiation Committee set up last December to negotiate on behalf of the opposition. Russia and Syria have sought to widen the opposition team and cast doubt over its composition.