(Zaman Al Wasl)- One of Syria's main rebel groups, Ahrar al-Sham, on Thursday pulled out of opposition talks aimed at forging a united front ahead of potential discussions with President Bashar Assad's government.
It said it took the decision because of "the fundamental role... given to personalities linked to the regime" at the conference in Riyadh, AFP reported.
It named the Syria-based National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, which is generally tolerated by the government and participated in talks organized by Moscow on the conflict in 2014 and 2015.
Allied with the Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham said it "rejects the outcomes" of the meeting which "did not affirm the identity of our Muslim people" in Syria.
According to copy of the final statement, the Syrian opposition meeting on Thursday called for an all-inclusive, democratic Syria and said President Bashar Assad should leave power at the start of a transitional period.
The participants backed a "democratic mechanism through a pluralistic regime that represents all sectors of the Syrian people," the statement said.
This would include women and would not discriminate on religious, sectarian or ethic grounds, it added. The participants also committed to preserving Syria's state institutions and restructuring the army and security services.
The Riyadh conference which opened Wednesday and its outcomes were not "truly" representative of the Syrian "revolutionary factions", the group said.
Ahrar al-Sham had agreed to attend the Riyadh talks despite the "lack of representation of jihadi factions at a level matching their... role" on the ground in Syria.
But the Islamist group had warned it "will not accept the results of this conference" unless they include "cleansing Syrian territories of the Russian-Iranian occupation and sectarian militia supporting them."
The participants agreed on 30 delegates who will attend planned peace talks in Geneva, according to Zaman Al Wasl sources.
9 members from the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, 5 from The National Coordination Body (Domestic Opposition), 10 from rebel factions, and 6 independent opposition figures.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes in support of Assad for more than two months, while Iran has provided military assistance.
Ahrar al-Sham had insisted the priority should be overthrowing the regime, preserving Syria's unity and rejecting sectarianism.
A source in the National Coalition, the main opposition group which is based in Istanbul, said Thursday that the delegates had agreed on a set of basic principles, including ensuring Syria is a "pluralist and civil state" and guaranteeing the country's territorial integrity.
The source, whose information was confirmed by a second opposition figure, said delegates also agreed on "the preservation of state structures, the restructuring of military and security bodies, and the rejection of terrorism and the presence of foreign combatants".
The dismantling of Assad's military and security services is among the key demands of Ahrar al-Sham.
Meanwhile, Russia, the United States and the United Nations will hold talks on Syria in Geneva on Friday as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are ratcheted up, according to Reuters . (With AFP, Reuters)
It said it took the decision because of "the fundamental role... given to personalities linked to the regime" at the conference in Riyadh, AFP reported.
It named the Syria-based National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, which is generally tolerated by the government and participated in talks organized by Moscow on the conflict in 2014 and 2015.
Allied with the Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front, Ahrar al-Sham said it "rejects the outcomes" of the meeting which "did not affirm the identity of our Muslim people" in Syria.
According to copy of the final statement, the Syrian opposition meeting on Thursday called for an all-inclusive, democratic Syria and said President Bashar Assad should leave power at the start of a transitional period.
The participants backed a "democratic mechanism through a pluralistic regime that represents all sectors of the Syrian people," the statement said.
This would include women and would not discriminate on religious, sectarian or ethic grounds, it added. The participants also committed to preserving Syria's state institutions and restructuring the army and security services.
The Riyadh conference which opened Wednesday and its outcomes were not "truly" representative of the Syrian "revolutionary factions", the group said.
Ahrar al-Sham had agreed to attend the Riyadh talks despite the "lack of representation of jihadi factions at a level matching their... role" on the ground in Syria.
But the Islamist group had warned it "will not accept the results of this conference" unless they include "cleansing Syrian territories of the Russian-Iranian occupation and sectarian militia supporting them."
The participants agreed on 30 delegates who will attend planned peace talks in Geneva, according to Zaman Al Wasl sources.
9 members from the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition, 5 from The National Coordination Body (Domestic Opposition), 10 from rebel factions, and 6 independent opposition figures.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes in support of Assad for more than two months, while Iran has provided military assistance.
Ahrar al-Sham had insisted the priority should be overthrowing the regime, preserving Syria's unity and rejecting sectarianism.
A source in the National Coalition, the main opposition group which is based in Istanbul, said Thursday that the delegates had agreed on a set of basic principles, including ensuring Syria is a "pluralist and civil state" and guaranteeing the country's territorial integrity.
The source, whose information was confirmed by a second opposition figure, said delegates also agreed on "the preservation of state structures, the restructuring of military and security bodies, and the rejection of terrorism and the presence of foreign combatants".
The dismantling of Assad's military and security services is among the key demands of Ahrar al-Sham.
Meanwhile, Russia, the United States and the United Nations will hold talks on Syria in Geneva on Friday as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are ratcheted up, according to Reuters . (With AFP, Reuters)
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