For the first time since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, the representatives of various opposition groups fighting the regime of President Bashar Al Assad are expected to gather in Saudi Arabia form a united front ahead of potential talks. The unity move is the result of an initiative by Saudi Arabia, which, along with other Gulf countries, has been in the forefront of efforts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict. The opposition representatives will be meeting this week.
Talks on finding a solution to the Syrian crisis, which would include deciding the fate of Assad, are likely to be held before January 1. Past talks have failed to make any headway while fighting continues to rage. The conflict has become excruciatingly complicated with the entry of new players and the consolidation and shifting of interests, the latest being the entry of Russia into the battlefield under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State, and the launch of military strikes against the IS by France and its allies after the Paris attacks. There is a sense of urgency and a new realization in the international community, especially the West, now that a solution to the Syrian conflict cannot wait. Talks are being expedited and the UN is trying harder. In such a scenario, there is a need for the opposition groups to unite under one umbrella to oppose the sinister designs of Assad and his allies to keep him in power. Lack of unity among opposition groups has been a major hurdle in ousting Assad, and the Saudi initiative is meant to address this problem. Some hundred representatives are likely to attend the meeting in Saudi, including the Jaish al-Islam (The Army of Islam), an amalgam of factions that include Islamists and others.
However, it is not easy to unite various groups whose differences run deep. “The mission is difficult and risky,” said Samir Nashar, a member of the Istanbul-based National Coalition, the main Syrian opposition grouping. He said the aim was to “agree on a common and clear position concerning the future of Syria, the transition and the stance on (the fate of) Bashar Al Assad.”
The departure of Assad is the only solution to the Syrian crisis. Groups supported by the US and several Gulf countries are demanding Assad’s rapid departure, a condition that Iran and Russia continue to oppose.
But unity among the opposition groups is a must to remove Assad. Last month, top diplomats from 17 countries -- including key international backers and opponents of Assad -- met in Vienna in search of a political solution to Syria’s war, which has seen 250,000 people killed since March 2011.
For the first time since the Syrian conflict began in 2011, the representatives of various opposition groups fighting the regime of President Bashar Al Assad are expected to gather in Saudi Arabia form a united front ahead of potential talks. The unity move is the result of an initiative by Saudi Arabia, which, along with other Gulf countries, has been in the forefront of efforts to find a solution to the Syrian conflict. The opposition representatives will be meeting this week.
Talks on finding a solution to the Syrian crisis, which would include deciding the fate of Assad, are likely to be held before January 1. Past talks have failed to make any headway while fighting continues to rage. The conflict has become excruciatingly complicated with the entry of new players and the consolidation and shifting of interests, the latest being the entry of Russia into the battlefield under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State, and the launch of military strikes against the IS by France and its allies after the Paris attacks. There is a sense of urgency and a new realization in the international community, especially the West, now that a solution to the Syrian conflict cannot wait. Talks are being expedited and the UN is trying harder. In such a scenario, there is a need for the opposition groups to unite under one umbrella to oppose the sinister designs of Assad and his allies to keep him in power. Lack of unity among opposition groups has been a major hurdle in ousting Assad, and the Saudi initiative is meant to address this problem. Some hundred representatives are likely to attend the meeting in Saudi, including the Jaish al-Islam (The Army of Islam), an amalgam of factions that include Islamists and others.
However, it is not easy to unite various groups whose differences run deep. “The mission is difficult and risky,” said Samir Nashar, a member of the Istanbul-based National Coalition, the main Syrian opposition grouping. He said the aim was to “agree on a common and clear position concerning the future of Syria, the transition and the stance on (the fate of) Bashar Al Assad.”
The departure of Assad is the only solution to the Syrian crisis. Groups supported by the US and several Gulf countries are demanding Assad’s rapid departure, a condition that Iran and Russia continue to oppose.
But unity among the opposition groups is a must to remove Assad. Last month, top diplomats from 17 countries -- including key international backers and opponents of Assad -- met in Vienna in search of a political solution to Syria’s war, which has seen 250,000 people killed since March 2011.
