http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/syria-activists-truce-made-blockaded-town-20842062
and......
Votes have been planned and cancelled time and again, mostly with various factions threatening to withdraw outright if the SNC agreed to attend the peace talks, and with Islamist fighters threatening to target them as “traitors” over the matter.
Syrian opposition agrees to attend Geneva talks with preconditions – SNC statement
The Western-backed Syrian opposition group has agreed to participate international peace talks, outlining conditions that must be met before they attend in Geneva, the group said in a statement.
The Syrian National Council is demanding a guarantee that relief agencies will get unhindered access to rebel-held areas of Syria, Reuters reports citing the statement. The group also demanded the release of political prisoners.
The creation of transitional ruling body in which the current government should not have a role remains the opposition's main goal.
"All we can do is hope is that these talks will end with the departure of Bashar al-Assad," said Adib Shishakly, a member of the coalition told Reuters.
The consensus in the SNC was reached after two days of discussions over the weekend.
and......
Syrian Opposition Bloc Seeks Rebels’ Okay for Geneva Talks
SNC Faces Western Pressure to Go, Rebel Pressure Not to
by Jason Ditz, November 10, 2013
After months of failing to agree on attending the Geneva II peace talks, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) is now seeking rebel fighters’ permission on the matter, with a vote expected in the coming days.
Votes have been planned and cancelled time and again, mostly with various factions threatening to withdraw outright if the SNC agreed to attend the peace talks, and with Islamist fighters threatening to target them as “traitors” over the matter.
The request for rebel input comes amid major Western pressure to agree to attend the talks, with the US seeing it as a significant embarrassment that Russia managed to get the Assad government to agree to the talks in June and, nearly half a year later, the US can’t get the rebels it bankrolls to do the same.
Some rebels seem to be warming to the idea, with the war increasingly stalemated, but while some might endorse the talks it seems likely the majority will not.
In the end, that may be the plan, with the SNC simply looking for something to use as an excuse during the next summit with Western nations.
Syria Activists: Truce Reached in Blockaded Town
Government officials and rebels reached a deal to ease a weeks-long blockade on a rebel-held town near the Syrian capital on Sunday, allowing food to reach civilians there for the first time in weeks, activists said.
The truce is the latest to be observed in recent months between President Bashar Assad's government and disparate rebel groups throughout the war-ravaged country.
It comes as the main Western-backed Syrian opposition began the second day of a two-day meeting in the Turkish capital Istanbul to decide whether they will attend a proposed peace conference the U.S. and Russia are trying to convene in Geneva by the end of this year.
The Syrian National Coalition has demanded Assad step down in any transitional government as a condition for participation in the talks. Syrian officials say Assad will stay in his post at least until his term ends in 2014 and that he may run for re-election. Coalition Spokesman Louay Safi said discussions were still ongoing.
"There are people who are concerned and worried that not enough preparation has taken place. And there are those who would like to make a decision but with some preparation," he told reporters in Istanbul.
The Coalition is also expected to approve a list of cabinet of ministers presented by interim prime minister, Ahmad Toumeh, who was elected in September.
The Western-backed group has also called for goodwill measures from the Assad government, including lifting sieges on rebel-held areas. It wasn't clear if the deal in Qudsaya was such a gesture, as neither rebels nor Syrian officials comment on such deals.
An activist group, the Qudsaya Media Team, confirmed the truce in a statement but gave few details. In an earlier November release, they said local markets ran out of food, and area's poorest residents were going hungry. They could not be immediately reached for comment.
Rami Abdurrahman of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the deal allowed food and flour to enter the town on the outskirts of Damascus, under blockade since October. The Observatory follows Syria through a network of activists on the ground.
All warring sides in Syria's conflict have blockaded towns to squeeze out fighters, but the most affected have been poor people struggling to buy food, the elderly, the sick and children.
In recent weeks, a variety of Syrian mediators have been trying to ease blockades in several areas, with modest success.
Syria's government is under pressure from the international community to allow food and medical aid into blockaded areas, particularly after reports emerged of widespread hunger in the blockaded Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh this year. It appears civilian elders have also pressured rebels to accept truces.
Meanwhile, fighting raged for control of a key base protecting the government-held airport in the northern city of Aleppo.
The Brigade 80 base has been reported to have changed hands multiple times in the past day. It first fell to rebels in February, but the government retook it last week. Activists said that it was recaptured by rebels overnight Friday but by Sunday afternoon, troops loyal to Assad were again in control, said the Observatory and a Lebanese television channel that closely follows Syria.
Another pro-rebel activist in the Aleppo province said the clashes were still ongoing and it wasn't clear what the outcome of the fighting yet was.
The rebels fighting at Brigade 80 have been led by fighters from the Islamic Tawhid Brigade and two al-Qaida-linked groups, the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
The activist and the Observatory said Shiite fighters of the Lebanese Hezbollah were fighting alongside Syrian troops at the site, underscoring the importance of the battle. The government-held Aleppo International Airport, which has been closed due to fighting for almost a year, is one of the Syrian rebels' major objectives.
And in northeastern Syria, rebels killed lawmaker Mahjam al-Sahho, said the state-run news agency SANA. The 50-year-old was seized by gunmen affiliated with the al-Qaida-affiliated ISIL several days ago, the agency said.
http://rt.com/news/syria-opposition-geneva-talks-488/
Syrian opposition to attend Geneva talks if West keeps ‘humanitarian aid’ promises – SNC leader
The opposition will be represented at the upcoming Geneva 2 conference on a precondition that the West provides aid and ensures humanitarian corridors for their strongholds, said the president of the Western-backed Syrian opposition group.
In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Ahmad Jarba, the leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, agreed to attend the long-awaited talks that would include a delegation of Bashar Assad, something that the opposition refused to do in the past.
Less than a week ago, Jarba said he would not attend Geneva 2 talks unless there was a clear agenda to force Assad to leave the office.
“We have decided not to enter Geneva talks unless it is with dignity, and unless there is a successful transfer of power with a specific timeframe, and without the occupier Iran at the negotiating table,” Jarba told an Arab League meeting in Cairo.
But now when asked about his attendance by the British newspaper, Jarba replied: “Yes, but do you think we can sit with the regime whilst there are people in Syria who can’t even drink water? We have been promised by the West that these humanitarian issues will be solved before the conference.”
He said that Britain promised to provide “safe passage” of humanitarian aid at a London meeting of Friends of Syria held last month.
“In a closed meeting in London, John Kerry, Mr Hague and the other Friends of Syria ministers promised us that they would solve this issue before Geneva. They have not solved it yet,” he said. “We cannot go to Geneva when there are children without water, baby formula, bread and medicine.”
“We feel strange that countries sponsoring Geneva are unable to provide humanitarian access to besieged areas, yet at the same time say they will be able to provide a political solution,” Jarba added.
Less than a week ago, Jarba said he would not attend Geneva 2 talks unless there was a clear agenda to force Assad to leave the office.
“We have decided not to enter Geneva talks unless it is with dignity, and unless there is a successful transfer of power with a specific timeframe, and without the occupier Iran at the negotiating table,” Jarba told an Arab League meeting in Cairo.
But now when asked about his attendance by the British newspaper, Jarba replied: “Yes, but do you think we can sit with the regime whilst there are people in Syria who can’t even drink water? We have been promised by the West that these humanitarian issues will be solved before the conference.”
He said that Britain promised to provide “safe passage” of humanitarian aid at a London meeting of Friends of Syria held last month.
“In a closed meeting in London, John Kerry, Mr Hague and the other Friends of Syria ministers promised us that they would solve this issue before Geneva. They have not solved it yet,” he said. “We cannot go to Geneva when there are children without water, baby formula, bread and medicine.”
“We feel strange that countries sponsoring Geneva are unable to provide humanitarian access to besieged areas, yet at the same time say they will be able to provide a political solution,” Jarba added.
Humanitarian aid for opposition forces is absolutely necessary for Jarba to win support from numerous loosely associated brigades fighting on the ground in Syria, he told the Telegraph.
“Regarding those groups, if they saw that this brings real pressure by international community on the regime I don’t think they will reject Geneva,” he told the Telegraph.
“We are talking to many of them and when we explain the situation to them and they understand it in a better way, they don’t reject the political solution. But the superpowers have to help us also to convince those people by taking these steps.”
“Regarding those groups, if they saw that this brings real pressure by international community on the regime I don’t think they will reject Geneva,” he told the Telegraph.
“We are talking to many of them and when we explain the situation to them and they understand it in a better way, they don’t reject the political solution. But the superpowers have to help us also to convince those people by taking these steps.”
On Sunday the National Coalition will continue discussions in Istanbul about their participation in Geneva 2. During the previous meeting the coalition stressed that prior to announcing their decision they want the international community to apply more pressure on Damascus.
“We have always said that we are fully committed to Geneva. But we are worried that if we go there the Assad regime is not serious about the implementation of Geneva,” coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh said on Saturday. “Everyone knows that the Assad regime is going to try to buy more time.”
“We have always said that we are fully committed to Geneva. But we are worried that if we go there the Assad regime is not serious about the implementation of Geneva,” coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh said on Saturday. “Everyone knows that the Assad regime is going to try to buy more time.”
Asked when the group will make a decision whether or not to attend the negotiations, Saleh claimed that the coalition“hadn't received any invitation from the UN.” But the spokesman noted that there was no future for Assad in Syria once transition will take place, claiming that Assad should stand a fair trial.
“It has become obvious to anyone that there is no role for Assad if Geneva 2 is really to be applied, whether in the transitional period or after that.”
“We want to go to Geneva but everyone has to be serious, not only the Assad regime but its allies. We want the Russians to apply real pressure on the Assad regime,” Saleh said in Istanbul, noting that Moscow was instrumental in negotiating the chemical weapons deal with Assad.
“It has become obvious to anyone that there is no role for Assad if Geneva 2 is really to be applied, whether in the transitional period or after that.”
“We want to go to Geneva but everyone has to be serious, not only the Assad regime but its allies. We want the Russians to apply real pressure on the Assad regime,” Saleh said in Istanbul, noting that Moscow was instrumental in negotiating the chemical weapons deal with Assad.
Clear declaration of participation required
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov expressed hope that the West will convince the opposition to take part in the conference. “Our partners have promised that they will work to ensure that the opposition clearly declares their participation in this conference,” the diplomat was quoted by Interfax as saying. “Let's wait for this, as without the consent of the opposition to take part, it is difficult, of course, to rely on success of the conference.”
At the same time Moscow believes that the opposition is not ready to participate in the Geneva-2 talks as some groups fighting on the ground continue to oppose any peaceful settlement of the conflict in Syria.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov said that the National Coalition cannot represent all group at the negotiations.
“The National Coalition claims to be the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. But it does not represent even the majority of opposition structures that oppose the regime the Assad regime,” Lavrov said Friday.
According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov, “there is doubt about the fact that all [opposition groups] genuinely want a political settlement,” adding that some fighters want to use force as means to resolve the conflict. “Unfortunately, there are external forces that fuel such sentiments, not only morally-politically but financially as well,” Interfax quotes.
At the same time Moscow believes that the opposition is not ready to participate in the Geneva-2 talks as some groups fighting on the ground continue to oppose any peaceful settlement of the conflict in Syria.
The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov said that the National Coalition cannot represent all group at the negotiations.
“The National Coalition claims to be the sole legitimate representative of the Syrian people. But it does not represent even the majority of opposition structures that oppose the regime the Assad regime,” Lavrov said Friday.
According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mikhail Bogdanov, “there is doubt about the fact that all [opposition groups] genuinely want a political settlement,” adding that some fighters want to use force as means to resolve the conflict. “Unfortunately, there are external forces that fuel such sentiments, not only morally-politically but financially as well,” Interfax quotes.
Geneva 2 talks brokered by the US and Russia tentatively set to start November 23 have not yet officially been scheduled, although diplomats hope to kick start the round before the end of this year.
So far around 20 rebel groups have refused to take part in the negotiations, including the Syrian National Council. Some groups have even threatened those delegations that are planning to attend.
“We announce that the Geneva 2 conference is not, nor will it ever be, our people's choice or our revolution's demand," said Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh, chief of the Suqur al-Sham Brigade, AFP reports.
“We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it,” he said, adding that actions of those choosing to disobey this recommendation would be viewed as“treason” and result in the groups having “to answer for it before our courts.”
“It is outrageous that some of these extremist, terrorist organizations fighting government forces in Syria are starting to make threats,” Sergey Lavrov said late October. “The threats are directed at those who have the courage to attend the “The threats are directed at those who have the courage to attend the proposed Geneva conference being offered by Russia and the United States with the entire world's support.”
So far around 20 rebel groups have refused to take part in the negotiations, including the Syrian National Council. Some groups have even threatened those delegations that are planning to attend.
“We announce that the Geneva 2 conference is not, nor will it ever be, our people's choice or our revolution's demand," said Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh, chief of the Suqur al-Sham Brigade, AFP reports.
“We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it,” he said, adding that actions of those choosing to disobey this recommendation would be viewed as“treason” and result in the groups having “to answer for it before our courts.”
“It is outrageous that some of these extremist, terrorist organizations fighting government forces in Syria are starting to make threats,” Sergey Lavrov said late October. “The threats are directed at those who have the courage to attend the “The threats are directed at those who have the courage to attend the proposed Geneva conference being offered by Russia and the United States with the entire world's support.”
http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2013/Nov-09/237347-syria-opposition-wants-pressure-on-damascus-before-agreeing-to-talks.ashx#axzz2kFWEoLtI
Syria opposition wants pressure on Damascus before agreeing to talksNovember 09, 2013 05:17 PMBy Philippe Alfroy
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| President of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) Ahmad Jarba (C) and members attend a meeting of the National Coalition on November 9, 2013, in Istanbul. AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC |
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ISTANBUL: Syria's splintered opposition coalition insisted Saturday it would not go to peace talks in Geneva unless pressure was brought to bear on Damascus to abide by the outcome.
"We have always said that we are fully committed to Geneva. But we are worried that if we go there the Assad regime is not serious about the implementation of Geneva," said coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh.
He was speaking as the opposition battling to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Istanbul to decide whether to attend a peace conference that world powers want to hold in Geneva.
The meeting involving the main umbrella group, the National Coalition, and due to run into Sunday took place as rebels retook a strategic base in northern Syria.
The UN-Arab League envoy tasked with trying to quell the Syrian conflict, Lakhdar Brahimi, warned earlier this week that bitter rival camps in the opposition must forge a united front for the proposed peace talks, dubbed "Geneva 2".
World powers unsettled by the vicious, two-and-a-half year war in Syria have been pushing for the peace negotiations between the warring sides and Arab states to take place before the end of the year.
But the initiative has been stalled by the opposition's internal dissent -- robbing it of credibility internationally and in the eyes of the rebels it is meant to represent -- and its demand for the talks to call for Assad's ouster.
A key faction in the opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council, has baldly refused to take part, and has threatened to break from the grouping if some members go.
Foreign ministers from 11 Western and Arab nations holding a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Britain last month to pave the way for Geneva 2 agreed Assad should have no role in any future Syrian government.
But that failed to convince the opposition to commit to Geneva.
And Assad's regime, which has international diplomatic protection from Russia, has warned it will not take part if the aim is to call for Assad to leave power.
Assad refuses to acknowledge that his army is fighting a revolt, preferring to label the rebels "terrorists" sponsored by Arab rivals.
The president has also opened the door to possibly standing for re-election in polls next year, to the fury of the opposition and the consternation of the United States.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said this week that some opposition members have accepted an offer of informal talks in Moscow to precede the Geneva conference.
Turkey's foreign ministry meanwhile said Syrian opposition was justified to have "hesitations" about Geneva 2, particularly over its format and Assad's future role.
Turkey, which borders Syria and has received a flood of more than 600,000 refugees from the conflict, has become a key opponent of Assad.
The opposition coalition's spokesman said of the proposed Geneva meeting: "Everyone knows that the Assad regime is going to try to buy more time.... and kill more Syrian civilians."
He added: "We want to go to Geneva but everyone has to be serious, not only the Assad regime but its allies. We want the Russians to apply real pressure on the Assad regime."
Saleh noted that recent Russian pressure had been instrumental in making Assad destroy his chemical weapon stocks.
Asked about when the opposition might declare whether or not it was going to the talks, the spokesman said the coalition "certainly hadn't received any invitation from the UN".
Saleh stressed the opposition's categorical rejection of Assad playing a role in any negotiated solution to the conflict.
"It has become obvious to anyone that there is no role for Assad if Geneva 2 is really to be applied, whether in the transitional period or after that."
Of the president's future, he added: "I can only say that he deserves a fair trial."
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that Syrian rebels -- among them Al-Qaeda loyalists -- firing Grad rockets overnight regained control of a strategic base near Aleppo in fierce fighting that killed more than 50 people.
Much of the base, located near Aleppo's international airport, had been seized from rebels on Friday by Assad troops backed by Hezbollah fighters.
"We have always said that we are fully committed to Geneva. But we are worried that if we go there the Assad regime is not serious about the implementation of Geneva," said coalition spokesman Khaled Saleh.
He was speaking as the opposition battling to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Istanbul to decide whether to attend a peace conference that world powers want to hold in Geneva.
The meeting involving the main umbrella group, the National Coalition, and due to run into Sunday took place as rebels retook a strategic base in northern Syria.
The UN-Arab League envoy tasked with trying to quell the Syrian conflict, Lakhdar Brahimi, warned earlier this week that bitter rival camps in the opposition must forge a united front for the proposed peace talks, dubbed "Geneva 2".
World powers unsettled by the vicious, two-and-a-half year war in Syria have been pushing for the peace negotiations between the warring sides and Arab states to take place before the end of the year.
But the initiative has been stalled by the opposition's internal dissent -- robbing it of credibility internationally and in the eyes of the rebels it is meant to represent -- and its demand for the talks to call for Assad's ouster.
A key faction in the opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council, has baldly refused to take part, and has threatened to break from the grouping if some members go.
Foreign ministers from 11 Western and Arab nations holding a "Friends of Syria" meeting in Britain last month to pave the way for Geneva 2 agreed Assad should have no role in any future Syrian government.
But that failed to convince the opposition to commit to Geneva.
And Assad's regime, which has international diplomatic protection from Russia, has warned it will not take part if the aim is to call for Assad to leave power.
Assad refuses to acknowledge that his army is fighting a revolt, preferring to label the rebels "terrorists" sponsored by Arab rivals.
The president has also opened the door to possibly standing for re-election in polls next year, to the fury of the opposition and the consternation of the United States.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said this week that some opposition members have accepted an offer of informal talks in Moscow to precede the Geneva conference.
Turkey's foreign ministry meanwhile said Syrian opposition was justified to have "hesitations" about Geneva 2, particularly over its format and Assad's future role.
Turkey, which borders Syria and has received a flood of more than 600,000 refugees from the conflict, has become a key opponent of Assad.
The opposition coalition's spokesman said of the proposed Geneva meeting: "Everyone knows that the Assad regime is going to try to buy more time.... and kill more Syrian civilians."
He added: "We want to go to Geneva but everyone has to be serious, not only the Assad regime but its allies. We want the Russians to apply real pressure on the Assad regime."
Saleh noted that recent Russian pressure had been instrumental in making Assad destroy his chemical weapon stocks.
Asked about when the opposition might declare whether or not it was going to the talks, the spokesman said the coalition "certainly hadn't received any invitation from the UN".
Saleh stressed the opposition's categorical rejection of Assad playing a role in any negotiated solution to the conflict.
"It has become obvious to anyone that there is no role for Assad if Geneva 2 is really to be applied, whether in the transitional period or after that."
Of the president's future, he added: "I can only say that he deserves a fair trial."
A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Saturday that Syrian rebels -- among them Al-Qaeda loyalists -- firing Grad rockets overnight regained control of a strategic base near Aleppo in fierce fighting that killed more than 50 people.
Much of the base, located near Aleppo's international airport, had been seized from rebels on Friday by Assad troops backed by Hezbollah fighters.
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