Syria rebels agree to regime talks but without Assad

The conference in Saudi Arabia of political activists and rebel groups agreed on Thursday to set up a joint body to prepare for proposed peace talks with Assad’s government but insisted that he leaves office.

Syrian opposition groups on Thursday agreed to discourse with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a potentially momentous step toward peace during a years-long civil war that has devastated the region.

“Some of the terrorist groups linked to Islamic State are involved in the [Riyadh] talks”, he said.

“This is the widest participation for the opposition, inside and outside of Syria, and we have the participation of the armed groups”, Hadi al-Bahra, a member of the exiled Syrian National Coalition told The New York Times.

What remains unclear is the role Mr. Assad may be allowed to play in that transitional government.

SAUDI ARABIA’S foreign minister insisted yesterday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go before there can be peace.

Efforts to unify Syria’s opposition continued this week, with a meeting in Saudi Arabia between members representing a broad range of rebel groups.

Divisions remain over whether Assad could be part of a political transition, although most participants agree he should step down at the start of the transitional period, said Omar Mushaweh, a senior Muslim Brotherhood member whose party is represented at the meeting.

One of Syria’s main rebel groups has pulled out of opposition talks aimed at forging a united front prior to potential discussions with the Damascus regime.

In a statement announcing its withdrawal, Ahrar al-Sham objected to the inclusion of the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change (NCB), which is against armed struggle and is viewed as close to the regime and Moscow.

However, Mr. Kerry also acknowledged there is “difficult work ahead” – an apparent reference to fact that not all of the opposition participants had come away unified from the two-day conference that wrapped up Thursday in Riyadh.

At the Riyadh talks a declaration of principles was still being drafted, a rebel commander said.

However a copy of the final statement had been signed by the Ahrar al-Sham delegate.

The opposition communique will be of some comfort to the Western nations who supported calls for Assad to be overthrown early in the uprising but have become dismayed by the revolution’s takeover by Islamist and jihadist groups.

Kurdish fighters were also left out.

President Vladimir Putin on Friday vowed to further modernize Russian arsenals and said that its military in Syria will “immediately destroy” any target threatening them, a strong warning to Turkey following its…

The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011, has killed an estimated 250,000 people and displaced 12 million more, according to United Nations figures.