BEIRUT // A powerful alliance of Syrian rebels rejected upcoming peace talks on Sunday, meaning that even if the talks reach an unlikely breakthrough in the three year old civil war, it will be harder to implement it on the ground.
Syria’s main political opposition group in exile, the National Coalition, agreed on Saturday to attend the talks beginning on Wednesday in Geneva, setting up the first meeting between President Bashar Al Assad’s government and its foes.
But the Islamic Front, an alliance of several fighting forces that represents a large portion of the rebels on the ground, said on Sunday it rejected the talks.
Syria’s future would be “formulated here on the ground of heroism, and signed with blood on the front lines, not in hollow conferences attended by those who don’t even represent themselves,” Abu Omar, a leading member of the Islamic Front, said on his Twitter account.
Leaders in both Arab Gulf and western countries have hailed a decision by Syria’s opposition to attend the peace conference next week alongside representatives of a regime they despise and remain determined to overthrow.
“In support of the rights of the Syrian people to decide their own future and defend themselves against the Syrian regime’s crimes,” Saudi Arabia and the UAE “welcome the decision by the National Coalition to take part in Geneva II,” said the two countries in a joint statement.
Both Gulf states however “affirm at the same time that Geneva II must aim to put an end to the Syrian people’s sufferings through creating a real political change in which (Mr Al Assad) regime will have no role.”
After weeks of hesitation and threats to boycott the talks, the deeply divided National Coalition said it will go to Switzerland, with the sole aim of toppling Mr Al Assad.
Mr Al Assad was quoted on Sunday as saying his departure is not up for discussion, in a Russian media report that his office quickly denied.
“If we wanted to surrender we would have surrendered from the start,” Mr Al Assad told Russian parliament members during a meeting in Damascus, according to the Interfax news agency.
“This issue is not under discussion. Only the Syrian people can decide who should take part in elections,” said Mr Al Assad, whose has ruled over Syria since 2000 after the death of his father and veteran strongman Hafez Al Assad.
But the presidency in Damascus said the comments published by Interfax were “inaccurate,” without elaborating.
Mr Al Assad’s brands its opponents as “terrorists”, but it has made concessions ahead of the conference that opens on Wednesday.
The Geneva II meeting aims to set up a transitional government to end a brutal war estimated to have killed more than 130,00 people and forced millions from their homes in nearly three years.
The United States secretary of state, John Kerry, hailed the opposition’s “courageous” decision to attend the talks, describing it as a “path that will ultimately lead to a better future for all Syrians”.
“We all know that the process ahead will be difficult, but I say directly to the Syrian people: we will stand by you every mile of the journey as you seek to achieve the freedom and dignity that all Syrians deserve,” he said in remarks echoed by Britain, France and Germany.
The Coalition voted on Saturday by 58 to 14 to attend the peace conference, with only 75 of the around 120 delegates taking part in the secret ballot — a sign that strong disagreement persists.
The Coalition leader, Ahmad Jarba, said the group was going to Switzerland only for the purpose of removing the “butcher” Mr Al Assad from power.
“The Geneva II negotiation table is a one-way road aimed at achieving all the demands of the revolution... and first and foremost stripping the butcher (Assad) of all his powers,” he said.
The head of the rebel Free Syrian Army, General Selim Idriss, called for a “peaceful resolution” to the conflict, and urged the opposition to uphold the “goals of the revolution” and remove Mr Al Assad and his cronies from power.
Regime ally Iran — which has not been invited to attend the talks — said participants at the forum must adopt “realistic” decisions and ensure that militants are weakened.
The Coalition has been under intense pressure from its Western and Arab backers to attend the talks.
The regime said it will send a high-level delegation, and has offered concessions ahead of the talks, including a prisoner swap and a security plan for the battered northern city of Aleppo.
The foreign minister, Walid Muallem, said Damascus was determined to ensure the talks were a success, and sent a letter to the United Nations saying the conference is about getting rid of extremists.
Mr Kerry dismissed the concessions, saying “nobody is going to be fooled”.
“They can bluster, they can protest, they can put out distortions, the bottom line is we are going to Geneva to implement Geneva I, and if Assad doesn’t do that he will invite greater response,” he said.
More than 35 countries will gather in the Swiss cities of Montreux and Geneva from Wednesday for the peace talks, as reports from Syria spoke of more bloodletting and infighting among rebels.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime jets and helicopters pounded Aleppo and the surrounding countryside on Saturday, killing 34 people.
* Reuters and Agence France-Presse