World Powers Talk Syria and ISIS in New York
Diplomats from around the globe will meet Friday in New York to discuss potential ends to the Syrian civil war and efforts to collectively battle the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS), the New York Times reports.
But as the proposed date for peace talks and a cease-fire in January draws closer, it is unclear whether world powers with large stakes in the war can come together to end the fighting.
The first two meetings of the so-called International Syria Support Group produced a diplomatic road map to peace. The timeline included a cease-fire by January and negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition parties, facilitated by the United Nations, followed by new nationwide elections in 18 months.
The group, which is led by top diplomats from the U.S. and Russia, includes regional rivals and members with vastly different agendas.
The third meeting of the support group, to be held in New York on Friday, aims to produce a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) resolution supporting the group’s Syria timeline by the day’s end.
Differences remain over three main issues: the fate of President Bashar al-Assad, the definition of terrorist groups in Syria, and whether or not the UNSC would endorse the bloc of opposition groups formed in Riyadh last week.
Assad Defector to Head Syrian Opposition in Talks
Syria’s political opposition is set to name former prime minister Riad Hijab as the chief coordinator for future negotiations with the Assad government.
Anonymous sources told Reuters that Hijab was elected during last week’s opposition conference in Saudi Arabia, in a 24-to-10 vote.
Assad appointed Hijab as prime minister in June 2012, but he defected less than two months later. He was the first Syrian cabinet minister to defect from the government.
One source, a participant at the Saudi-held opposition talks, said Hijab was chosen because of his knowledge of the inner workings of the Syrian state.
“He is the best suited candidate at this stage with long years of executive experience in contrast to figures from the political opposition abroad with no real negotiating skills,” the source said.
Others, however, remained wary of Hijab’s past ties to Assad’s Baath party.
Hijab will head a body of representatives from Syria’s fragmented political and armed opposition set to begin negotiations with the Syrian government in January.
‘No Agreement’ on Key Opposition Issues: Iran
Just hours before the latest round of international talks on Syria, Iran’s foreign minister has said there “seems to be no agreement” on two key issues relating to the Syrian opposition, the Associated Press reports.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that Iran has not yet seen a list it could agree upon of Syrian opposition groups to be included in negotiations with the Assad government in January. Zarif also said the group was having difficulties reaching a consensus on which Syrian rebel groups should be labeled terrorist organizations.
“Card-carrying members of al-Qaida do not satisfy the conditions that we set for members of the opposition,” he said. “The opposition should be serious, and it should be inclusive.”
An Iranian delegation is set to attend the talks in New York on Friday, but as of Thursday, Zarif said he was unsure if any concrete progress would be made.
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Top image: Secretary of state John Kerry meets with Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir at the New York Palace Hotel, Thursday, Dec. 17, 2015, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Smith, Pool)