Syria ‘Open’ to Ceasefire Talks, But Will Deal Emerge?

Most Rebels Mum, But One Faction Thinks Some Might Reciprocate

Syrian Foreign Ministry officials said they are interested in holding talks with UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi regarding his proposed Eid al-Adha ceasefire, but said they were concerned other nations wouldn’t make the effort to convince the various rebel factions involved in the ongoing civil war to reciprocate.

Brahimi’s plan is for a temporary ceasefire for the multi-day Muslim holiday, in the hope that the brief pause in fighting might conceivably convince both sides that negotiations are worth exploring, a lofty goal at a time when neither has shown much interest in talks.

So far the closest to a rebel response that has been made is from an official in the Syrian National Council (SNC), a rebel political group, which said they figured that the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was liable to abide by a ceasefire if the Syrian military unilaterally stopped firing first.

The FSA hasn’t confirmed this possibility, but it seems unlikely that the Islamist factions in the rebel movement would listen to either the FSA or the SNC on the matter, so putting a deal together remains an uphill battle for Brahimi.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.