The U.N. Syria envoy who is presiding over the Geneva peace consultations, has asked the National Coalition for a new meeting in Istanbul, days after an official rejection to attend the planned Geneva talks by the Western-backed opposition and armed groups.
Zaman al-Wasl source said the Coalition did not set a date for Istanbul's meeting with Staffan de Mistura since the group has made clear its condition to attend any talks which says Bashar al-Assad has no role in Syria's future according to Geneva Communique 1.
Last Wednesday, Syrian armed groups rejected an invitation to U.N. consultations in Geneva, according to a letter posted online.
The letter from 30 opposition armed groups to De Mistura accused him of abandoning his neutrality and "standing on the side of one party without the other".
De Mistura's low-key process, which involves him talking separately to scores of interested parties, follows failed attempts by his predecessors to stop the fighting. He was hoping to directly involve the armed groups for the first time.
"Your positions and your statements, especially your statement that Bashar al-Assad is part of the solution in Syria, have shown and given us a clear impression of your indifference toward the massacres that the regime is committing," it said.
De Mistura has repeatedly tried to clarify remarks on Assad that he made in February, saying his words was taken out of context and he meant the Syrian president was part of the solution for reducing violence.
The armed groups gave four reasons for rejecting De Mistura's invitation, including "continuing to work with the regime despite its loss of all forms of legitimacy".
They said they would not reject "any real international effort that includes a clear solution" but the U.N process "lacked any clear basis or means to get to real outcomes".
De Mistura has said he wants the consultations to enable him to find common ground based on the 2012 Geneva Communique, a document that set out guidelines for ending the violence and launching a political transition.
But the armed groups said the communique "did not refer clearly to the departure of Assad and his regime, with all its symbols and pillars," which it said was the crucial basis for "any supposed solution process".
It also rejected De Mistura's decision to invite Iran to take part in the consultations process, saying it was occupying Syria, trying to undermine its Arab and Islamic identity, violating human rights and committing crimes against humanity.
"We believe that it is the duty of the international community to legally prosecute Iran, not to invite it to meetings and consultative conferences." (With Reuters)
Zaman al-Wasl source said the Coalition did not set a date for Istanbul's meeting with Staffan de Mistura since the group has made clear its condition to attend any talks which says Bashar al-Assad has no role in Syria's future according to Geneva Communique 1.
Last Wednesday, Syrian armed groups rejected an invitation to U.N. consultations in Geneva, according to a letter posted online.
The letter from 30 opposition armed groups to De Mistura accused him of abandoning his neutrality and "standing on the side of one party without the other".
De Mistura's low-key process, which involves him talking separately to scores of interested parties, follows failed attempts by his predecessors to stop the fighting. He was hoping to directly involve the armed groups for the first time.
"Your positions and your statements, especially your statement that Bashar al-Assad is part of the solution in Syria, have shown and given us a clear impression of your indifference toward the massacres that the regime is committing," it said.
De Mistura has repeatedly tried to clarify remarks on Assad that he made in February, saying his words was taken out of context and he meant the Syrian president was part of the solution for reducing violence.
The armed groups gave four reasons for rejecting De Mistura's invitation, including "continuing to work with the regime despite its loss of all forms of legitimacy".
They said they would not reject "any real international effort that includes a clear solution" but the U.N process "lacked any clear basis or means to get to real outcomes".
De Mistura has said he wants the consultations to enable him to find common ground based on the 2012 Geneva Communique, a document that set out guidelines for ending the violence and launching a political transition.
But the armed groups said the communique "did not refer clearly to the departure of Assad and his regime, with all its symbols and pillars," which it said was the crucial basis for "any supposed solution process".
It also rejected De Mistura's decision to invite Iran to take part in the consultations process, saying it was occupying Syria, trying to undermine its Arab and Islamic identity, violating human rights and committing crimes against humanity.
"We believe that it is the duty of the international community to legally prosecute Iran, not to invite it to meetings and consultative conferences." (With Reuters)
Zaman Al Wasl
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