Syrian opposition calls for Assad’s exit as basis for peace talks

Al-Arabiya – The opposition Syrian National Coalition will not take part in a planned Geneva II peace conference unless the objective is President Bashar al-Assad’s removal from power, the coalition president Ahmad al-Jarba said on Tuesday.

“Geneva cannot succeed and we cannot take part if it allows Assad to gain more time to spill the blood of our people while the world looks on,” Jarba said.

A final decision on the SNC’s participation will be made within 10 days, Jarba said, noting that there will be “no negotiations or reconciliation with the Syrian regime.”

Jarba said that the regime of President Assad is supported by more than 60,000 fighters from Iran and that without the Iranian backing, Assad would’ve lost. “Iranian fighters are wreaking havoc in Syria,” he said.

While Washington has said it is open to the possibility of Iran coming to a Geneva conference, Secretary of State John Kerry said it was hard to see Tehran playing a constructive role unless it backs the idea of a transitional government.