Assad must leave to start political transition in Syria, rebel groups insist

Monzer Akbik, a member of the National Coalition opposition group, said the conference agreed to set up a 32-member secretariat to oversee and supervise peace talks.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, said the Syrian opposition factions had made progress in their talks.

The Riyadh meeting came amid escalating conflict in Syria and accelerated diplomacy to find a political solution to the war.

The foreign ministry said the exclusion of Syria’s Kurdish Democratic Union Party, in a major omission, was the result of objections from Turkey, which had a say in who got invited to the Riyadh conference.

“Whenever they want to change their approach, give up the armaments, we are ready”, Assad said.

“While this important step forward brings us closer to starting negotiations between the Syrian parties, we recognise the hard work ahead, and remain determined to continue toward a political settlement that brings an end the conflict”.

Ahrar al-Sham, the biggest fighting group in Syria, pulled out of the talks on Thursday.

Speaking at a news conference earlier on Thursday, Al-Jubeir said that Assad has two choices, “either to leave through negotiations” or be forcibly removed from power, arguing that the Syrian people would not accept any other outcomes.

The problem is that- this time around- their terror tactics aren’t working, in fact, their jihadi militias are getting beaten quite badly the by the Russian-led coalition, which is why they’ve moved on to Plan B, a political strategy for uniting the anti-Assad opposition to improve their chances for success in the next round of negotiations in Vienna.

The high commission contains 33 members, about one-third representing armed factions.

The measures include the ending of regime sieges on towns and districts to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, a halt to executions, the release of political detainees and the creation of conditions to allow for the return of refugees. Russian Federation is a key backer of Mr. Assad and has struck rebel targets as well as IS positions. The US has also called on Mr. Assad to step down, but has appeared to soften its stance on when that has to happen.

But they were later reported to have had second thoughts and signed up “with reservations” – no doubt a product of Saudi pressures on a group Riyadh has strongly backed.

Taking advantage of the chaos, an affiliate of Al Qaeda has gained traction among the rebels while the extremists of the Islamic State have seized stretches of the country for a self-declared caliphate that extends into Iraq.

“You are too insignificant to talk about matters related to the Syrian people and Syrian state”, he said.

While the talks in Saudi Arabia have lasted longer, the larger question – of whether the varying groups can meet on common ground – remains unclear.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said groups linked to IS were attending.

“Only the people of Syria can decide the future of their country”, he added.

Ahrar al-Sham is a ultraconservative Islamist, or Salafist, rebel group that aims to topple Mr Assad and build an Islamic state, though it vows to achieve the latter through the ballot box and not force.