Efforts to persuade Syrian rebel groups to unite are moving to Saudi Arabia ahead of a tight deadline for convening talks with Bashar al-Assad and maintaining the momentum of international diplomacy to end the war.The conference in Riyadh, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, is an ambitious attempt to bring together disparate organisations whose divisions have been a serious barrier to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, which has hitherto lasted four and a half years.
It is expected to produce a document setting out a shared vision for the future of the country and to form a 25-member committee to represent the fragmented opposition camp.
The Saudis, who are working openly to overthrow Assad, have invited what they term all “moderate” opposition elements. That excludes the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaida’s Syrian affiliate, which are proscribed by the UN as terrorist organisations. But it includes other Islamist groups that western countries find too militant.
Jaysh al-Islam, which has strong Saudi links, has not confirmed whether it will attend. Neither has Ahrar al-Sham, another important and militarily effective group, which is supported primarily by Turkey and has been trying to improve its image to attract western backing.
The Riyadh conference is expected to bring together up to 150 representatives of political and armed groups. These include the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and the Damascus-based National Coordination Committee – which is tolerated by Assad.
Representatives of the Free Syrian Army, which western countries want to fight Isis on the ground to complement their airstrikes, will also be there. But key Kurdish groups have not been invited because of Turkish objections and will convene their own separate conference in the northern Syrian city of Hassakeh.
Numbers of participants have swollen. “Every Syrian worth their salt wants to be on that committee because they think it’s a stepping stone to becoming a minister in a national unity government,” said one well-placed source. “The list keeps getting longer and longer.” Saudi largesse is another consideration.
US officials have advised opposition groups to adopt “creative language” when discussing the highly sensitive question of Assad’s fate, al-Hayat reported.
No comments:
Post a Comment