Assad's opponents call for resumption of talks to end Syria's civil war

In a boost for the opposition, western and Arab representatives attended a meeting of the High Negotiations Committee in Geneva

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad attending the Arab League Summit in Jeddah. SPA

A Syrian group representing the opposition to President Bashar Al Assad has called for the resumption of peace talks with his government, after the country was readmitted into the Arab League.

Negotiations around the conflict in Syria have stalled, with several UN-brokered talks failing to resolve the crisis.

“The recent active movement on the Syrian issue creates suitable circumstances to resume direct talks,” the High Negotiations Committee said after a meeting in Geneva.

The gathering was attended by representatives of the US and other western countries, as well as Qatar and Egypt, bolstering the opposition. UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen was also at the meeting.

Ideological differences, interference by outside powers and gains on the ground for Mr Assad and his pro-Iranian militia allies since the 2015 Russian intervention have vastly undermined his opponents.

The opposition gained wide Arab and western backing in the initial years after the 2011 Syrian revolt against Mr Assad's 23-year rule.

Last month, Mr Assad attended an Arab summit in Jeddah, weeks after the Arab League restored the membership of Syria, suspended after the regime sent tanks into cities in 2011 to crush a revolt against him.

By the end of the year, the revolt had been militarised and Syria slipped into civil war. Most of the country separately fell under the influence of Russia, Iran, the US and Turkey.

The UN's Syria envoy Geir Pedersen. EPA

UN-supervised peace talks to end the war, which were supposed to produce a Transitional Governing Body, have been in tatters since 2017, partly because of differences between international powers backing different actors in the conflict.

Two years ago, Mr Assad held elections for a fourth term, which he won with 95 per cent of the vote in elections that western countries branded as a sham.

The 34-member High Negotiations Committee said the Syria peace process should remain based on UN Resolution 2254, passed in 2015.

It calls for an undefined political transition and the release of prisoners, as well as other measures designed to curb authoritarian rule and UN-designated terrorist groups in the country.

Applying the resolution “totally and firmly” would “wipe out terrorism and achieve civil peace, and guarantee the withdrawal of militias and foreign troops from Syrian territory,” the committee said.

The committee also criticised the league for not mentioning at the last summit resolution 2254, in its call to resolve the conflict.

Many of the committee's members are connected with outside players.

'The right tactical move'

Most committee members belong to the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces or have links to the Istanbul-based group.

The remaining members comprise of a Turkish-backed Kurdish group and three others that do not advocate for Mr Assad’s removal – the so-called Cairo and Moscow platforms and figures who live in Syrian regime areas.

Ayman Abdel Nour, a veteran Syrian political commentator, said the committee made a smart political move by reaffirming the opposition's commitment to the UN peace process at a time when Turkey, Russia and some Arab states want to implement their own versions of a solution.

“The opposition wanted to prove that they are still relevant and united, and that and that that the only solution is a UN one,” Mr Abdel Nour said.

“Their emphasis on Resolution 2254 is not only just,” he said. “It is the right tactical move.”