Friday’s UN-organized Geneva peace talks for Syria are still scheduled to happen, but as had been feared for months they will happen without any rebel participation, as rebel officials ruled out attending.
Formally invited on Tuesday, the rebels headed to Saudi Arabia to discuss the matter, and promised an answer Wednesday, which ended up being a series of demands, including an end to all airstrikes against all rebels. Citing the lack of response, they spurned the invitation.
The US urged the rebels to participate without preconditions, but the reports from the Riyadh meeting was that the rebels are mad at the US for backing the talks in the first place, accusing them of siding with Russia and Iran over the rebellion.
Rebels did suggest they were open to showing up at the talks later if their demands were all agreed to, but this seems hugely unlikely, meaning the Geneva talks are just the latest in a growing line of Syria talks in which Syrian factions are largely sidelined.
Who is meant by ‘rebels’ here?
First of all those ” moderate Terrorists” are way to close to Isis and second — they don’t even have Syrian passports. LOL
Of course — all “rebels” including ISIS, and all Wahabi-followers, Salafists under garden variety of islamic names. add to this Al-Nusra — presumably Allqaeda –and the 2000 factions of “Free Syryan Army, the butchers of Christian villages, and you get the picture. russia was pressured to accept most of them as “rebels” just to let the negotiations get off the ground, but now in Saudu Arabia — they gather to refuse coming to the table. As the new 30 year old idiot who now runs Saudi Arabia does not wipe his nose without US approval , all is clear. US boots are coming to help ” rebels” decimated by Russian strikes, and the talk about talking was to slow them down and using US intelligence move against weak positions to counter Syrian army. Clearly — US wants more fight, as more “ISIS” is now “pivoting” to North Africa and Asia. Example of undermining two countries that pivoted to China — Indonesia and Thailand — is more then telling. Pivot to Asia is finally under way. In Libya US troups are going to rescue ISIS that did not suceed in dislodging the disobedient Tripoli in favor of US appointed one in Tobruk. More troups will be getting inti Iraq to shore up ISIS by creating chaos around Mosul preventing Iraq from taking it — as US pushes Kurds in Iraq to seceede. Not publicly, but that is what hundreds of special ops — excuse me, advisors — are doing
Since the Syrian rebels aren’t even Syrians who really was expected to turn up in Geneva? Israel, Saudi or Turkey?
It’s not all bad. At least the Syrian government is at the table – to negotiate with their real opponent, the USA. And the Syrian government is the only faction that should remain after a peace treaty is implemented.
Can’t Antiwar get a real journalist to write on Syria?