Peace talks do not legitimise Syrian rebel groups, says Russia

[webfact]

Peace talks do not legitimise Syrian rebel groups, says Russia



ABU DHABI: -- Moscow has agreed that two Syrian rebel groups taking part in peace talks are doing so on an individual basis.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, said their participation in the Geneva negotiations does not mean the two groups are legitimate and, he said, it does not mean they are not terrorists.

Lavrov was in the UAE meeting his Emirati counterpart.

“Their participation on an individual basis in the delegation formed at Riyadh meeting does not mean – and it is acknowledged by everyone including our American colleagues as co-chairs of the Vienna process – does not mean any acknowledgment of Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham as partners in the negotiations,” Lavrov said.

Meanwhile, Syria’s government delegation chief Bashar Jaafari, arrived in Geneva on Tuesday for indirect discussions with the UN Syrian envoy, Staffan de Mistura..

Jaafari said he was still waiting for the UN envoy to provide a list of the opposition’s negotiating team. It was therefore too early to start talks.

A UN source said de Mistura had promised to make that list available by Wednesday.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-02-03

[craigt3365]

Kinda hard for Russia to push forward peace talks when they are still bombing innocent civilians in Syria. Passed last year, by the UN security council, yet bombing is still happening:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2254

The resolution demands that all parties immediately cease any attacks against civilian targets, it urges all Member States to support efforts to achieve a ceasefire and requests the U.N. to convene the parties to engage in formal negotiations in early January 2016.^[4]

Groups seen as "terrorist", including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the al-Nusra Front, are excluded. Offensive and defensive actions against such groups will continue. A mechanism to monitor the ceasefire will be set up.^[2][3]

Within 18 months, free and fair elections will be held under U.N. supervision. The political transition will be Syrian-led.^[3]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/19/un-resolution-syria-creates-framework-yawning-gaps-assad

But Resolution 2254 at least does bring closer a short-term truce that could curtail the biggest cause of civilian casualties, bombing of civilian areas by the Assad regime, currently with the help of the Russian air force. Once that comes to an end, many other things begin to become possible.

[webfact]

Syrian opposition HNC pulls out of Geneva peace talks



"It's clear from the current situation that the regime and its allies -- in particular Russia -- are determined to reject the UN's efforts to implement international law."

GENEVA: -- The list of attendees at the United Nations-brokered peace talks on Syria has yet to be set in stone.

On Tuesday, February 2, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) Syrian opposition group decided not to meet with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura at the Geneva discussions.

Spokeswoman Farah al-Atassi cited a new Syrian military offensive on rebel positions as the group’s reason for declining the meeting.

“Our objective is to ensure the immediate implementation if paragraphs 12 and 13 of UN Security Council resolution 2254 before the start of any negotiation. It’s clear from the current situation that the regime and its allies — in particular Russia — are determined to reject the UN’s efforts to implement international law,” she said.

The HNC had earlier said the UN must put an end to Russian-backed attacks on civilian areas in Syria, lift blockades and stop ongoing sieges, before it would enter into discussions.

It now accuses Russia of “gravely threatening the political process” after forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and backed by Moscow claimed to have advanced on Syria’s largest city, Aleppo.

The national official news agency, SANA, reported the capture of the village of Hardatneen, north of the city.

It came as de Mistura began a second day of peace talks by hosting the Syrian government delegation for the second time since discussions began on Friday, January 29.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-02-03

[Kerryd]

Pathetic.

They travel there (at whose expense ?) hoping the UN will legitimize their uprising (and overlook the atrocities they have committed) and like pouty little children decide to pull out after ONE day.

These "rebels" gladly welcomed the likes of Al Qaeda and the al-Nusra fighters though they claimed to be "moderates" themselves. Despite being un-elected and self-appointed, some governments want to consider them to be the "legitimate" government of Syria (just like they did with the un-elected, self-appointed "rebels" in Libya and look how well that turned out).

Hypocrisy at it's best as pretty much ALL of those same governments would not tolerate an armed insurrection within their own borders for one second longer than it took to put said same insurrection down. Sort of like the way certain Muslim countries (I won't mention Saudi Arabia by name) ruthlessly CRUSHED Arab Spring protests in their own (and other) countries yet not a whisper of protest was heard from the West nor any mention of sanctions, retaliations or arming of those "rebels".

This conflict boils down to a religious proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran. Assad is a convenient excuse for the war the same way Qaddafi was in Libya. They could have removed Qaddafi from power decades ago but they had a problem in that Libya was becoming a fairly progressive country with a lot of freedoms that other Arab countries would never dream of allowing. Qaddafi had toned down his rhetoric as he grew older and really hadn't done much of anything to piss anyone off since the Lockerbie bombing back in '88 (though he liked to make anti-Western rants now and then just to keep up his "cred"). The US had even removed Libya from it's list of State Sponsors of Terrorism list in 2006.

While not a secular nation by any means, Libya did not have a strong Islamist movement until the Arab Spring (what a surprise). (Note that Qatar, who openly sponsor the Muslim Brotherhood, even when it was still considered a terrorist group, is not on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. I guess having a major (friendly) US military presence in your country grants you the ability to do things that normally would be frowned upon. Qatar also sent troops to assist the rebels in Libya despite a UN resolution forbidding such action. Naturally no reprisals were made against them for that though. Qatar also supports Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and other Muslim Brotherhood off-shoot organizations. Interesting to note as well that Qatar was one of the few Arab countries that didn't have any "Arab Spring" protests at all. Perhaps due to the fact that they decided right at the beginning to support those protests in almost every other country like Libya, Egypt and Syria.)

Syria also did not have a strong Islamist movement prior to the Arab Spring either. Assad and his father had ruled Syria since 1970 and while still anti-Israeli, Syria, much like Libya, hadn't done anything to piss anyone off in a long time. Since the Israelis bombed their lone nuclear reactor in '07, Syria has done little to draw attention to itself. It seems Assad's biggest crime was to be from a minority Alawite sect of Shia Islam (supported by Iran). Didn't help either that the Kurds were an issue in one part of the country and Turkey in another (with the Turkmen ethnic group). A lot of greedy eyes looking at Syria. Oh yeah, the "moderate" rebels ? Mostly made up of Sunnis (no surprise).

Until suddenly a bunch of rebels all decide to stage protests (often using violence) against a large number of governments in the region. Odd how protests started up in 18 different countries within 1 1/2 months of each other. Almost as if they were being co-ordinated by someone, somewhere, with a specific purpose in mind. (Got to love the Haj !)

Funny how places like Zimbabwe (and Mugabe) don't warrant much attention at all. Oh right, I forgot. A former co-worker (from Zimbabwe) told me why once. Apparently because Zimbabwe exports potatoes and not oil, it's not worthy of the attention other countries with brutal dictatorships get. Another co-worker (from a Western country) said that the reason "we" helped out in Libya and not Zimbabwe was that "they" figured they could win in Libya and Zimbabwe had "nothing to offer".

So in his opinion, the "West" will only intervene if they think they can (easily) win the war and if the conquered nation has something of value. Like oil. I'm betting that if the Syrian "rebels" had not allowed the Al Qaeda/al-Nusra Front terrorist groups into their organization, the "West" would have (eagerly) jumped in with jets ablazing and Assad would have gone the way of Qaddafi long ago. At one point even Obama had his finger on the trigger, just itching to squeeze it.

Back in the 60s/70s, the "proxy wars" were between capitalists and communists (mainly the USSR and USA). Now it's between religious sects. I fear things are only going to get worse from here on.

"Men never commit evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.”

Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and philosopher, 1623-1662

[craigt3365]

I think they pulled out due to the bombing that's still going on. The UN resolution, which Russia signed, stipulates the bombing has to stop for negotiations to proceed.

You are spot on, IMHO, that this is basically a religious war. And poor Syria is caught in the middle due to a poor leader. Not sure about your comment regarding Islamists in Syria. They've been there for years. And caused problems with Assad's father many years ago. He dealt with it by killing most of them.

Love your last quote! Spot on....been happening for centuries!!

Here's a good read.

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n07/peter-neumann/suspects-into-collaborators

In the years that preceded the uprising, Assad and his intelligence services took the view that jihad could be nurtured and manipulated to serve the Syrian government’s aims. It was then that foreign jihadists first entered the country and helped to build the structures and supply lines that are now being used to fight the government. To that extent Assad is fighting an enemy he helped to create.

[Dumbastheycome]

The contrived agitation across the ME has its source in one place.