Key Syrian Opposition Group Pulls Out Of Peace Talks

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has dismissed possible negotiation with the Syrian opposition until rebel groups lay down their arms.

Delegates from Islamist insurgent groups, exiled political opposition figures and Damascus-based activists are aiming to bridge differences which have plagued previous attempts to unite Assad’s opponents around a common strategy.

Assad noted that he would negotiate with a genuine Syrian opposition but that armed groups would have to lay down their arms in exchange for amnesty.

The meeting comes amid global pressure on the opposition to unify their ranks and negotiate with al-Assad’s government to reach a political solution to the country’s conflict, now in its fifth year.

The talks, which began on Wednesday and are expected to last three days, have brought together publicly for the first time more than 100 Syrian political figures.

The Western-backed opposition and armed rebels have repeatedly insisted that there will be no role for Assad in the future of Syria.

The participants agreed in the last negotiations to meet again in “approximately one month” to review progress toward a ceasefire and the start of a political process in the violence-scarred country.

The opposition has long complained of having insufficient arms as it confronts pro-regime forces who enjoy strong military backing from Iran and Russian Federation, which is conducting strikes by warplanes and even submarines in support of Assad.

Iran has openly criticised the decision by Saudi Arabia to hold the talks, saying they were created to harm the Vienna process.

Syria’s moderate opposition factions have been weakened by divisions, allowing jihadist rebels such as Islamic State to establish a foothold in the country.

“It is not in line with the Vienna talks”, Amirabdollahian said.

Assad said on Friday that the United States and Saudi Arabia wanted “terrorist groups” to join peace talks proposed by world powers, and that nobody in Syria would accept such talks, in an interview transcript published by state media.

“We appreciate Saudi Arabia’s leadership in convening this broad and representative group… who agreed today on the structure of their negotiating body to represent them”, he said.

Most U.S. airstrikes have targeted the Islamic State extremist group, while Russia’s warplanes have mostly hit other Syrian rebel groups, including some backed by the West.

The latest developments come with US Secretary of State John Kerry due in Moscow Tuesday in a new bid to push for a peace plan to end Syria’s almost five-year conflict.

He was speaking to reporters during a two-day meeting of Syrian opposition groups wherein Assad foes called on the United Nations to press the Assad regime to take confidence building measures ahead of proposed peace talks, the Saudi Press Agency reported.