Syrian Rebels Won’t Be Going to Peace Summit
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Scott Peterson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The U.S.-Russian brokered summit to seek an end to the Syrian conflict was dealt a setback on Thursday, when opposition forces said they would not attend the conference in Geneva set for early June.
Up to now, there were hopes that officials from President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebel forces would participate in the meeting set up by Washington and Moscow — perhaps the last best attempt at finding a solution to the civil war that has only picked up in intensity since al-Assad’s government began its crackdown on democratic activists in March 2011.
However, George Sabra, the acting head of the coalition, said, “The National Coalition will not take part in any international conference or any such efforts so long as the militias of Iran and Hezbollah continue their invasion of Syria.”
Specifically, the National Coalition wants Syrian and Hezbollah troops to pull back from the rebel-held town of Qusair near the Lebanese border before they would consider attending the summit.
The siege in Qusair has gone on for weeks and is considered a possible turning point in the war. Should the rebels hold onto it, al-Assad’s forces will have a more difficult time reestablishing a foothold in western Syria.
As it stands, even if the rebels acquiesced and went to the conference, it might be impossible to reach a deal anyway since al-Assad has refused their precondition that he step down from power before any serious negotiations can take place.
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