Syrian Coalition is the big loser with or without Geneva

Syria's main opposition group has lost its bargaining power ahead of any potential peace conference, after rebels withdrew their support and a UN resolution failed to meet its expectations, Reuters said.

With talks aimed at bringing about an end to the civil war planned for November in Geneva, the opposition feels more abandoned than ever by its friends in the West.

National Coalition chief Ahmad Jarba officially welcomed the UN resolution to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons, but other members of the group expressed bitterness at the outcome.

"The (UN) Security Council resolution is a big disappointment for us," said Coalition member and veteran dissident Samir Nashar.

"It serves the interests of most regional and international powers, including the Syrian regime... but by no stretch of the imagination does it serve the Syrian people or the Syrian revolution."

The UN Security Council on Friday passed resolution 2118, after gruelling US-Russian negotiations, ordering Syria's chemical arsenal destroyed, but the resolution stops short of promising sanctions or the use of force against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

And the resolution says nothing about the regime's use of other weapons - from fighter jets to scud missiles -- that have also exacted a heavy toll on the rebels and civilians.

"The opposition is the big loser," France-based Middle East expert Agnes Levallois said.

"With this issue of chemical weapons, Bashar al-Assad has regained his place as the Syrian partner for talks with the international community."

Even if the Geneva talks go forward as planned, the Coalition's decisions "will neither be accepted nor recognised by the opposition inside Syria... It's terrible for the opposition," Levallois added.

Source: Reuters