Talks in Vienna Bring Major Sides to the Table
The largest gathering of world leaders aimed at ending the conflict in Syria since it began some four and a half years ago starts today in Vienna.
All the region’s major powers have been given a seat at the table – including Iran and its rivals Saudi Arabia and the U.S. However, no seats have been allotted to either the Syrian government or forces opposed to the rule of Bashar al-Assad.
The interests of the Assad government will be represented by Iran and Russia, while the U.S. and Saudi Arabia will be there in place of the opposition, the Guardian reports. The two sides remain entrenched in their positions. Both Russia and Iran insist Assad remain in power, while Washington and Riyadh continue to call for him to be ousted.
Disagreements, however, do not end with the future of Assad. The 17 parties expected to meet in Vienna on Friday are also at odds over how to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State group (ISIS).
Military officials in the region hold that Russia’s ongoing aerial campaign, the ostensible purpose of which is to destroy ISIS, has focused at least 85 percent of its airstrikes on non-ISIS-affiliated rebel groups fighting pro-Assad forces.
Analysts argue the entrenched positions may be driving Syria toward the point of disintegration.
More than half of the prewar population of 20 million people has been displaced, with nearly 300,000 having chosen to take on the perilous journey to European shores since the summer.
35 Killed in Syrian Hospital Strikes
There has been a “significant increase” in airstrikes on Syrian hospitals and medical facilities, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday.
Since September, 12 hospitals across the country have been targeted by unknown air forces, killing at least 35 patients and medical staff and wounding 75, according to an MSF report published by the AFP.
“Overall, six hospitals were forced to close … and four ambulances destroyed,” MSF said. “One hospital has since reopened, yet access to emergency, maternity, pediatric and primary healthcare services remains severely disrupted.”
According to the statement, tens of thousands of Syrians have been forced to flee their homes since Russia began its air campaign in late September.
Syrian Opposition Rejects Iran Plan
Opposition figures and rebel groups have come out ardently against the idea of allowing Assad to stand in early elections after a transition period, declaring the idea to be “mad,” Reuters reports.
Reuters revealed on Thursday that Iran would give its consent to a six-month transition period after which Assad’s future would be decided by national elections.
“Who is mad enough to believe that under these circumstances in Syria, anybody can hold elections?” said George Sabra, a member of the main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition.
“Several millions of Syrians are outside Syria, some of them in refugee camps in some countries. Inside Syria there are millions who have left their houses, their lives, seeking safety,” Sabra said.
Ahmed al-Seoud, a rebel commander for the 13th Division group, agreed with Sabra, saying, “In the shadow of this anarchy there will not be real elections, therefore we reject them absolutely.”
He added, “Bashar al-Assad and his regime is the root of the terrorism in Syria.”
Recommended Reads
- The Atlantic: The Syrian Civil War: What?
- Agence France-Presse: Month Into Russia’s Syria Strikes, What Has Changed?
- International Business Times: Russian Forces Strike Syria’s Southern Rebels in Preparation for Pro-Regime Ground Offensive
- NPR: Syrian Author Finds ‘The Arab of the Future’ in His Own Past
- Reuters: After Russian Strikes, Syria’s Newly Displaced Scramble for Shelter
Top image: Security staff stand in front of U.S. secretary of state John Kerry, center, left, and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, center, right, prior to talks on Syria at a hotel in Vienna, Austria, on Friday, Oct. 30, 2015. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP)