The agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme is certain to improve strained relations between the West and Syria’s ally, Iran, and could boost the prospects of the proposed mid-December Syrian peace conference.
US secretary of state John Kerry, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi are due to meet today to finalise plans for this gathering while divided opposition factions are set to arrive in Geneva tomorrow with the aim of forming a single credible Syrian delegation. Government envoys have already consulted with Russia and Iran.
'No preconditions'
Syrian information minister Omran al-Zouabi told The Irish Times, "The government will attend the Geneva conference with no preconditions and the dialogue should be open to all. Geneva should lead to a political solution" of the conflict. The government expects that at Geneva "terrorism will be recognised as a fact on the ground" and the conference "will create the atmosphere for further steps" to reach a solution.
He insisted that President Bashar al-Assad should have a leadership role in the transition. “He is head of state according to the constitution [which] determines the stance of the Syrian government. If there is agreement in Geneva, the transitional authority will include mutually agreed members of the opposition” and the government. The opposition contends, however, it should lead the transition authority and Dr Assad should not be involved.
Mr Zouabi said the “problem [with certain opposition elements] is their affiliation with countries with different political agendas” rather than the “stance of the Syrian government”.
He spoke of the “bad intentions of some countries in the region and those currents within the opposition [that] seek to keep things as they are” to weaken the Syrian government and keep it isolated in the region. Groups tied to al-Qaeda also want the political track to fail. In Europe, France has adopted the Saudi and Israeli position by opposing the interim deal with Iran, the “Iranian Geneva”. This could impact Paris’s policy on the “Syrian Geneva”. He does not think France will be helpful.
Although there has been no decision about Iran’s participation in the conference, Mr Zouabi pointed out that Iran “is an important state in the region . .. more significant than [some] supporting the armed insurgency”. He named these actors as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and some parties in Lebanon, and said Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, head of the Saudi national security council, is the “sponsor” of radical fundamentalists fighting in Syria.
He argued “terrorists have no place in the political process” and contended the expatriate National Coalition formed in Qatar has ties to al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al- Nusra, dubbed a “terrorist group” by the US, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
“All efforts should be made to solve the crisis quickly. Syria has prepared itself for the process of rebuilding,” he said.
