Direct talks with Syria sought

Associated Press

BEIRUT

Syria opposition representatives meeting in the Saudi Arabian capital called Thursday for direct and unconditional negotiations with the Syrian government over the more than 6-year civil war that would lead to the launch of a transition period.

The opposition didn’t condition its participation in upcoming U.N-based negotiations on the departure of President Bashar Assad from office, signaling a degree of flexibility. The issue has always been the sticking point in previous rounds of talks, deepening division among an already fragmented opposition.

However, in the final communique obtained by The Associated Press, opposition representatives said a peaceful and unbiased transition period will not be possible without Assad first leaving office.

“We set our negotiation goals. We didn’t put down conditions,” said Ahmed Ramadan, an opposition member of the Syrian National Council said.

Ramadan said different opposition groups with divergent view points on Assad’s role in the transition period have found common ground. A unified delegation for the Geneva talks was to be announced later Thursday.

It is now up to the government to show seriousness, Ramadan added.

“The message today is that we have a unified vision when it comes to negotiations,” he said, speaking from Riyadh.

In the communique, the opposition delegates said an unbiased and peaceful transition “will not happen without the departure of Bashar Assad and his cronies and the repression machine at the start of the transition period.”

The statement added: “Despite this, those meeting are asking the U.N., through its envoy, to take the needed immediate measures to activate the political process ... by calling for direct unconditional negotiations” between the opposition and the government.

They added the negotiations should be based on the 2012 Geneva declaration, which calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, and which can include members of the current Syrian government.

After major military victories made possible by his allies Russia and Iran, there seems to be a consensus that the 52-year-old Assad is not going to step down easily after more than six years of war that has killed an estimated 400,000 people and left the country in ruins.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia, the host of the opposition meeting, said an international consensus is building for a political agreement, urging the different groups to find a united vision before the talks. Moscow and opposition members it backs have called for an “unconditional” process.