Saudi Arabia takes over from Qatar to solve Syria's crisis

 According to my sources, 12 members of Syria’s National Coalition met yesterday in Riyadh with Saudi authorities to discuss the coalition and ways to coordinate with the kingdom. The members, including Mohammed Farouk Tayfour, the deputy leader of Syria's Brotherhood, agreed to let go of Ghassan Hitto, who was chosen as the head of the opposition’s interim government in March. His appointment was widely seen as orchestrated by the Brotherhood, leading several prominent members to suspend their membership at the coalition.

The opposition met with Saudi authorities for two days and discussed ways to improve communications between them. Riyadh, contrary to popular belief, has not been working closely with the Syrian opposition, especially the political bodies, as the kingdom believed they were dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The members also agreed to expand the coalition’s representativeness to include minorities, particularly the Kurdish forces. Riyadh, meanwhile, promised to step up political and material support for the opposition.

 The two-day meeting is significant in many ways but that is about all I could share. The meeting marks a shift in how the opposition operates, previously almost exclusively working closely with Qatar and Turkey. There is also an important report by London-based Al Arab newspaper that confirms this, citing sources from Istanbul. The report says that Qatar has told Mustafa Al Sabbagh -- the secretary general of the National Coalition who had been appointed by Qatar during the establishment of the coalition to steer the coalition towards Qatar’s policies – to deal with Riyadh as “the Syrian dossier is now in the hands of Saudi Arabia”. I believe the report is credible.

 The news site quotes a source close to the Syrian opposition as saying that Qatar told Al Sabbagh “there was immense pressure from the United States and its allies to pull out of the Syrian dossier”. The members, who were flown in private airplane from and to Turkey, later announced since that they would appoint a new leader and announce a new government, according to Basma Atassi, a journalist with Al Jazeera English. It is worth noting that Hitto is a candidate, not actually an interim government PM, who was supposed to form a government that would then be approved by the National Coalition.

 American media reported recently that there was a US-led regional and international effort to close the tap on financial support to extremist groups within the Syrian rebels, with Qatar being the focus of that effort. The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung reported on April 22 that President Barack Obama would press on Qatar “to ensure that none of the weapons Qatar is sending to Syrian rebels end up with Jabhat al-Nusra  and other Islamic extremist groups”.

 Moreover, members of the “Friends of Syria” contact group in Istanbul, during their latest meeting in Istanbul in April, agreed to channel support through the Free Syrian Army’s military command led by its chief of staff General Salim Idris.

 Why is it significant that Saudi Arabia takes a leading role in dealing with the Syrian opposition?

 Saudi vehemently opposes the dominance of extremist Islamist groups over the opposition. Riyadh made it clear to the opposition members during the meeting in Riyadh that it rejects any role for extremist forces in any future plan in Syria. Riyadh specifically opposes the Brotherhood and jihadi, to be distinguished from Salafi, groups. 

 That does not mean that Qatar will step aside but the leading role will be taken by the Saudis. There is a consensus that Qatar’s role is essential but Doha needs to either refrain from supporting extremist forces or ensure that no financial support by private donors reach extremists.

 Notwithstanding the details, this is the focus of almost all the key countries that have a say in the Syrian conflict – something the Syrian opposition needs to understand, without engaging in conspiratorial rhetoric. A consensus has been reached that extremist forces must be weakened and support must be channelled through General Idris, whose public image is being bolstered in media and diplomatic circles. Add to that the loose consensus reached by the Americans and Russians after John Kerry’s visit to Moscow this week in relation to general principles about a transition; but the schism is still wide between the two, with the US confirming that it cannot see Bashar Al Assad in Syria’s future.

Hassan Hassan, a columnist for The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi