SYRIA: A government-sanctioned internal opposition group opens a conference in Damascus with Iranian, Chinese and Russian diplomats attending

Record ID: 281404

  • Title: SYRIA: A government-sanctioned internal opposition group opens a conference in Damascus with Iranian, Chinese and Russian diplomats attending
  • Date: 24th September 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (SEPTEMBER 23, 2012) (REUTERS) CONFERENCE DELEGATES ENTERING THE HALL BANNER READS IN ARABIC "NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR RESCUING SYRIA" MORE OF DELEGATES ENTERING VARIOUS OF DELEGATES SITTING AND TALKING HEAD OF THE NATIONAL COORDINATION BODY, HASSAN ABDUL AZIM A SECOND BANNER THAT READS IN ARABIC "NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR RESCUING SYRIA" CONFERENCE B
  • Embargoed: 9th October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVAE4GRO89XFS1EJLJYR143IR6E7
  • Story Text: The Syrian internal opposition umbrella group the National Coordination Body (NCB) opened the first session of a "National Conference for Rescuing Syria" in Damascus on Sunday (September 23).
    The conference comes a day after 29 opposition parties announced they had postponed a conference that had aimed to unify the opposition until further notice because the NCB, Syria's government-sanctioned opposition, refused to be a part of it.
    Last July, a similar conference was cancelled after the owner of the venue was threatened by Assad's forces who fired on a pro-democracy protest outside, killing 14.
    Opposition groups say Russia and China, which have blocked Western attempts to secure U.N. sanctions against Assad, have promised to exert influence to protect Sunday's meeting.
    Diplomats from the Chinese, Russian and Iranian embassies were in attendance.
    It was noticeable that the meeting kicked-off in Damascus' Umayya Hotel with neither Syria's flag nor the opposition flag flying.
    NCB member Rajaa al-Nasser said the conference "seeks an immediate ceasefire - an end to the monstrous and barbaric attacks as a truce period to open the door to a true political operation."
    The Russian Ambassador to Syria, Azamat Kulmukhametov, speaking during the conference said there needs to be a political solution to stop the violence.
    "In our calls with foreign states, Security Council states and the regional ones that affects armed groups, we focus our efforts on influencing these groups in order to stop the violence and find political solution for the Syrian crisis", said Kulmukhametov.
    Iranian Ambassador Mohamad Rida Shibani, speaking to Reuters as he left the conference, said that Iran supports all steps that will eventually lead to a political solution.
    "We support these steps. This is a good initial step. We should support and enforce it. All parties must participate in a national dialogue and respect the country's sovereignty as well as opposing any foreign intervention, especially military intervention," he said.
    Shibani added: "Democracy cannot be achieved through weapons but via national dialogue. That is why we support any step that leads to a comprehensive dialogue that serve reforms and dialogue between the government and opposition without any pre-conditions".
    Last week representatives of the NCB visited China where they met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi. China has urged Assad to talk to the opposition but has also defended the government, most notably by blocking diplomatic efforts to put pressure on Syria at the U.N. Security Council. On returning to Damascus on Thursday (September 20) three members of the NCB were seized by Syrian security forces said an NCB spokesman.
    NCB spokesman Khalaf Dahowd said NCB foreign affairs head Abdel Aziz al-Khair and executive committee member Eyas Ayyash were followed by Syrian security agents to their car where they joined NCB member Maher Tahan. Dahowd said the car didn't make it to Damascus and they haven't heard from them since.
    Dahowd also said one of the seized men, al-Khair, had been given assurances from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov at a meeting in Paris on September 9th that Russia would back and protect the upcoming opposition conference.
    Assad says he accepts some opposition figures who call for a peaceful transition from a one-party state to democratic governance and his allies have pointed to the internal opposition as a sign the president is serious about reform.
    The internal opposition, which includes many outspoken critics of Assad who have spent years in jail, has been accused of being too passive by rebel fighters and members of the largely foreign-based Syrian National Council, a political group calling for the international community to arm rebel factions.
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