Syrian opposition talks with Russia and Iran
The Syrian opposition leader met the foreign ministers of
Russia and Iran on Saturday, opening a window to a possible breakthrough
in efforts to broker an end to Syria's civil war.
Russia and Iran have been the staunchest allies of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad throughout an armed uprising, and any understandings
they might reach with Assad's foes could help overcome the two sides'
refusal to negotiate.
At an annual international security
conference in Munich, Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz Alkhatib had
talks with Russia's Sergei Lavrov that may have been made possible by
Alkhatib signalling readiness to talk to Damascus.
"Russia has a
certain vision but we welcome negotiations to alleviate the crisis and
there are lots of details that need to be discussed," Alkhatib said
after the meeting.
After a 45-minute meeting with Iranian Foreign
Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, Alkhatib told Reuters: "We agreed we have to
find a solution to end the suffering of the Syrian people."
He also met separately with US Vice President Joe Biden and UN special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi.
Alkhatib's
purpose in his meetings was "to discuss finding a way to remove the
regime with the least possible bloodshed and loss of life," he said.
Russia
has blocked three UN Security Council resolutions aimed at pushing out
Assad out or pressuring him to end the civil war, in which more than
60,000 people have died. But Moscow has also tried to distance itself
from Assad by saying it is not trying to prop him up and will not offer
him asylum.
"The talks about Syria are intensifying and the
Iranians have been drawn in. Let's see how it all ends," one diplomatic
source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"BIG SIGNAL"
Alkhatib
put his authority within the opposition movement at risk earlier this
week when he broke ranks to say he would be willing to meet Syrian
officials to discuss a transition if political prisoners arrested during
the uprising were freed.
The opposition coalition's 12-member
politburo then told Alkhatib not to respond to any proposals made in
Munich without consulting with them first, with one opposition source
citing concern that Alkhatib's move would damage the revolt's morale.
Outgoing
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Alkhatib's apparent
readiness to meet Assad envoys outside Syria, calling him "not only
courageous but smart".
She also voiced concern that Iran had recently increased military support for Assad.
While
some headway was apparently being made in Munich, Iranian media said
that Saeed Jalili of Iran's Supreme National Security Council had
travelled to Damascus to meet officials and help Assad "stand against
plots hatched by global arrogance" - an allusion to the United States
and other Western powers.
A comment by Russian Prime Minister
Dmitry Medvedev this week that Assad's chances of staying in power were
getting "smaller and smaller" was regarded in some quarters as a sign of
a shift in the Kremlin's Syria policy.
At the same time, Syrian
opposition figure Hassan Bali, in Munich as an independent observer,
called Alkhatib's meeting with Biden "a big signal from the Americans"
that they were upgrading support for rebels fighting to topple Assad.
Biden
said he had urged Alkhatib "to isolate extremist elements within the
broader opposition and to reach out to, and be inclusive of, a broad
range of communities inside Syria, including Alawites, Christians and
Kurds".
LACK OF LEADERSHIP
There was little evidence at the Munich conference that the US and Russian positions on Assad were getting any closer.
"The
persistence of those who say that priority number one is the removal of
Assad is the single biggest reason for the continuing tragedy in
Syria," Lavrov told the conference.
Biden on the other hand said
the White House was "convinced that President Assad, a tyrant hell-bent
on clinging to power, is no longer fit to lead Syrian people and he must
go".
Russia is Assad's main arms supplier and, with Iran, has
been among his strongest supporters during the 22-month-old conflict,
which began with peaceful protests and evolved into civil war after
Assad tried to crush unrest by military force.
US Republican
Senator John McCain, a long-time critic of the Obama administration's
reluctance to intervene in Syria, said in Munich that the United States
and its allies had "stood by and watched the massacre of 60,000 innocent
people".
McCain told reporters Obama should have explained to
the American people the need to intervene - but that "requires
leadership", he said. "And so far there is no American presidential
leadership."
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