Gulf monarchs yesterday endorsed a “political solution” for war-ravaged Syria, under an international framework agreed to last month.
At the end of a two-day annual summit, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rulers said they “support a political settlement ... that guarantees the territorial integrity and independence of Syria.”
The council represents the oil and gas-rich states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Photo: AFP
The announcement came as Syrian opposition and armed groups met elsewhere in Riyadh in an attempt to form a unified front ahead of possible talks with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The meeting follows an agreement last month in Vienna between diplomats from 17 countries, including Saudi Arabia, for a political transition and end to the Syrian war. The Vienna plan set a Jan. 1 target for peace talks and would see a transitional government set up in six months and elections in 18 months
The GCC “welcomed the conclusions of the Vienna meetings,” its statement said.
Talking to reporters at the meeting of Syrian opposition groups, Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said al-Assad has two choices: “Either to leave through negotiations’’ or be forcibly removed from power.
He said that he hoped the Syrian opposition could come up with a common vision for Syria during the meeting.
He also urged delegates to prove wrong those who argue that the Syrian opposition is too fragmented to present a unified front at future peace talks.
The talks in Saudi Arabia mark the most ambitious attempt yet to unify al-Assad’s enemies around a joint political platform — seen as a crucial first step to finding a peaceful end to four years of war and battling with the Islamic State group.
The powerful Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the main armed service of the Kurdish Supreme Committee, is among several groups excluded from the talks. Those there are deeply divided over central issues like how to manage a transition from al-Assad and the role Islam should play in Syria.
However, two delegates found solace in what they described as a lack of any major rupture so far among those in attendance.
“It went well. Very positive. We discussed many things. Tomorrow we will discuss a document of general principles,” one opposition member said on Wednesday, adding that the groups had hoped to complete the talks yesterday, but they might continue into today.
A member of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition said there had been broad agreement: “We discussed the main problems relating to the dialogue, the transition and all modalities related to the political process. Most of them agreed.”
US Department of State spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Washington that initial reports were “that it’s off to a positive start and that they are beginning to make ... some progress.”
More than 100 delegates were invited to the opposition meeting, including from the Islamist insurgent group, Ahrar al-Sham, founded by militants with al-Qaeda links, as well as opposition figures who have been based in government-controlled Damascus.
Additional reporting by AP and Reuters
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