Key Syrian Rebel Bloc Rules Out Attending Geneva II Talks

Threatens to Quit Coalition If Anyone Else Participates

The prospect of a Geneva II peace conference actually happen for the ongoing Syrian Civil War is looking more and more remote, as the leader of the Syrian National Coalition George Sabra has announced his group will not be taking part.

Sabra went on to say that talks with the Assad government are “impossible” at present, and warned that his group would withdraw from the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the pro-US rebel umbrella, if anyone else from the SNC attended.

Not that anyone else in the SNC had announced it was going to at any rate, as the group has spent the last several months debating whether or not to take part in the conference (which was supposed to be in June) without any resolution.

The SNC has the loyalty of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a moderate faction made up of military defectors, but the group seems to be splintering badly lately, with a number of rebel groups disavowing them and signing up for rival umbrella groups.

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.