Syria opposition meets in Riyadh still seeking Assad exit

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Syrian opposition groups, meeting in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to seek a unified position ahead of peace talks, decided to stick to their demand that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad leave power, following speculation they might soften their stance after their hardline leader quit.

The meeting came as Iran, Russia and Turkey held a summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, pressing their diplomatic dash to resolve Syria's six-year conflict with a new round of UN-brokered peace talks set to open in Geneva next Tuesday.

The Riyadh meeting was co-chaired by the UN's Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, who said the aim was to reach a "fair solution" to the conflict.

File photo of UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura and President Bashar al-Assad /AP Photo

De Mistura said the goal was to give momentum to next week's talks in Geneva by forging a unified opposition delegation, as long demanded by the Syrian government. He said he would travel to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian officials. "I'm always optimistic... especially in this moment," he said.

Some 140 delegates from a wide range of opposition platforms are under heavy pressure to row back on some of their more radical demands after a series of recent battlefield victories that have given President Bashar al-Assad's administration the upper hand.

Still seeking Assad exit

Absent are several former leading figures who were seen as unwilling to compromise. Among them is Riad Hijab, the leader of the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), who had been known as an uncompromising defender of the position that Assad must have no role in any political transition for Syria, and his resignation had led to speculation the opposition could soften its stance.

Russia said on Tuesday that the resignation of such "radically minded" Syrian opposition figures as HNC chief Hijab would help unite the disparate opposition factions around a more "realistic" platform.

Riad Hijab leaves after a news conference aside of Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, April 19, 2016. /Reuters Photo

However, a draft of the meeting's final statement still included the demand Assad leave office at the start of any transition.

Participants in the Riyadh meeting include members of the Istanbul-based National Coalition as well as of rival Cairo- and Moscow-based groups seen as more favorable to the Syrian government, and independent figures.

Qadri Jamil, who heads the Moscow-based group, on Wednesday announced he would not be attending the talks, citing what he said was the Syrian opposition's inability to agree on "the bases and principles" of their stance at the Saudi summit.

The National Coalition meanwhile said Jamil had pulled out after "disagreement over an article on Bashar al-Assad stepping down and the start of a transitional phase" in Syria.

Forming 'the right opposition'

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he expected that the withdrawal of Hijab and other hardliners in recent days would "help the Syria-based and foreign-based opposition unite on a constructive basis."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, April 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Observers said it could clear the way for a new negotiating team that would water down some of the opposition's longstanding demands, notably Assad's immediate ouster.

His fate has been one of the chief obstacles to progress in peace talks, with the opposition demanding he step down at the start of any transition.

"The Saudi pitch to the Syrian opposition has been that denial will only make the situation worse, and that they have to rethink their strategy," said Hassan Hassan, a fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy in Washington.

"The problem... is that the political opposition does not see it that way, and most activists are still struck in the 2012 thinking, that Assad has to be toppled."

Ahead of the meeting, dozens of prominent civilian and armed opposition figures appealed to participants not to compromise on the "ouster of Bashar al-Assad and his gang."

"No one should back down or quietly circumvent" it, they said in an online statement.

Members of Syrian opposition groups attend a meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Nov. 22, 2017. /AFP Photo

HNC member Yehya al-Aridi acknowledged some participants, notably the Moscow platform, were more flexible on the president's future.

But they "do not represent the choices of the revolution or the Syrian people," Aridi said.

And Hisham Marwah, another National Coalition member, said his group's "positions toward Assad have not changed."

"Whoever is betting on the Riyadh conference to legitimize the presence of Assad is delusional," Marwah said.

'Hard discussions' necessary to reach a 'common line'

All previous efforts to achieve a diplomatic solution have swiftly collapsed, with the opposition demanding Assad leave power, the government insisting he stay on, and neither side able to force the issue by achieving a military victory. Since 2011 the war in Syria has killed more than 330,000 people and forced millions from their homes.

De Mistura told the opposition groups at the Riyadh meeting they needed to have the “hard discussions” necessary to reach a "common line."

"A strong, unified team is a creative partner in Geneva and we need that, one who can actually explore more than one way to arrive to the goals that we need to have," he said.

De Mistura will meet Russia's defense and foreign ministers on Thursday to discuss preparations for a new round of Geneva talks, Russian news agency RIA reported.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters