West, Arab powers and opposition agree on no role for Assad in Syria’s future
The rebels, who met with the so-called Friends of Syria group of 11 countries in London, said they would not take part in the Geneva conference in late November if any regime members were there, and insisted that Assad’s departure was essential.
But a defiant Assad still showed no sign of backing down after a two-and-a-half-year civil war that has left more than 115,000 people dead, saying that he was ready to run for re-election as president in 2014.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the London meeting had urged the Syrian National Coalition - the main opposition umbrella group - to ‘commit itself fully’ to the so-called Geneva 2 talks. Hague said the Friends of Syria agreed that they would put their ‘united and collective weight’ behind efforts to form a transitional government and that ‘Assad would play no role in that future government of Syria’. US Secretary of State John Kerry took a similar position, saying that Assad had ‘lost all legitimacy’. But he too urged the opposition to go to Geneva, saying Syria was at risk of ‘implosion’ if the civil war continued and said the only alternative to a negotiated settlement was ‘continued if not increased killing’. The Syrian opposition is due to meet at the start of November to finalise their position on the Geneva talks, which are a follow-up to a peace conference held in the Swiss city in June 2012. The head of the national coalition, Ahmad Jarba, appeared to be in no mood to compromise on his demands.
But a defiant Assad still showed no sign of backing down after a two-and-a-half-year civil war that has left more than 115,000 people dead, saying that he was ready to run for re-election as president in 2014.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said the London meeting had urged the Syrian National Coalition - the main opposition umbrella group - to ‘commit itself fully’ to the so-called Geneva 2 talks. Hague said the Friends of Syria agreed that they would put their ‘united and collective weight’ behind efforts to form a transitional government and that ‘Assad would play no role in that future government of Syria’. US Secretary of State John Kerry took a similar position, saying that Assad had ‘lost all legitimacy’. But he too urged the opposition to go to Geneva, saying Syria was at risk of ‘implosion’ if the civil war continued and said the only alternative to a negotiated settlement was ‘continued if not increased killing’. The Syrian opposition is due to meet at the start of November to finalise their position on the Geneva talks, which are a follow-up to a peace conference held in the Swiss city in June 2012. The head of the national coalition, Ahmad Jarba, appeared to be in no mood to compromise on his demands.