Syria's government, opposition adopt joint document but differences remain

Syria's government and the opposition on Friday managed to adopt a joint document of a political character during consultations in Moscow amid reports that differences between both sides remain.

"After a heated discussion between the opposition and the government, the sides managed for the first time to unanimously adopt a document of a political character," TASS news agency quoted Vitaly Naumkin, the Russian moderator of the discussions, said on Friday.

Naumkin, who is director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the document is called "Moscow platform".

The document includes provisions on resolving the Syrian crisis based on the principles of the June 30, 2012, Geneva Communique and the UN Security Council resolution on the fight against terrorism.

It envisages lifting all the restrictive economic measures against the Syrian people and the assistance of the international community in returning the refugees back home, and also declares that the inter-Syrian dialogue without foreign interference is the only way to resolve the crisis peacefully.

The document was agreed upon during the start of the consultations between the opposition groups. "It is indicative that the opposition has managed to agree in Moscow," Naumkin said. "At the same time, many (among the opposition) abstained."

Earlier on Friday, the representatives of the Syrian opposition told a press conference that they failed to agree with the Syrian government's delegation on all the points of the joint document under consideration.

According to Xinhua news agency, although this round of intra-Syrian consultations in Moscow ended on Thursday with no pragmatic progress, Naumkin insisted that overall results have given "grounds for substantial optimism about the possibility of a peaceful solution to the crisis".

Naumkin told the media that despite the obvious gaps between the warring sides, this round of talks managed to pass the joint document assessing the current situation in Syria.

Meanwhile, there seemed to be dissensions within the Syrian opposition camp, as some representatives expressed their discontent over the signed document.

The first round of intra-Syrian talks was held in Moscow from January 26 to 29. The talks concluded with an agreement called the "Moscow Principles", which called for preserving Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, ensuring security for all parties and opposing any kind of external intervention.