An end to war may be far from sight in Syria as
the Syrian opposition has said it will not attend
talks in Geneva seeking to resolve the ongoing
civil war unless several conditions are met,
including the removal of Bashar al-Assad, the
president.
“We cannot be part of those responsible for
shedding the blood of our people,” Syria
opposition chief Ahmad Jarba said at a news
conference on Tuesday following talks in
London.
Jarba maintained that opposition leaders be
considered traitors if they agreed to the Geneva
conference without first securing needed
“foundations” – necessary preconditions in light
of what he called prior “failures” by the
international community to end the escalating
conflict.
“If we say yes to Geneva 2 conference, people
will cry out for the downfall of the conference,”
he said. “Our people have grown weary of false
promises and empty words. What right are you
asking us to shoulder this huge responsibility?”
The conditions include safe passage in beseiged
areas, the release of detained men, women and
children, and setting a fixed timetable for all the
phases of negotiation.
British Foreign Minister William Hague reiterated
the importance of the Geneva conference in
securing peace in Syria saying, “Assad would
play no role in a peaceful and democratic Syria”.
The London talks were a preamble to persuade
Syrian opposition leaders to attend the Geneva
conference.
Hague stressed that efforts were being made to
bring all sides to a negotiating table in Geneva
but stopped short of saying Syria’s opposition
had agreed to attend the talks.
He said the London meeting was aimed at
persuading Syria’s opposition to have a “united
position” for the conference scheduled for
November 23 and said they had agreed on a
number of steps.
US Secretary John Kerry echoed Hague’s words
while stressing that the Syrian war will not be
won on the battlefield but at the negotiating
table.
“I don’t know anybody including the Russians
and others in the region who are not part of the
support group who believe there is a military
solution to this conflict. It is clear both sides will
continue to fight, and to fight, and to fight,” he
said.
Tuesday’s talks were attended by the so-called
London 11, the core group of the Friends of Syria
that consists of Britain, Egypt, France, Germany,
Italy, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the
United Arab Emirates and the United States,
together with opposition leaders.
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