Syria's internationally recognised opposition group has
approved nine "ministers" for an interim government charged with
running Syrian territory that is in rebel hands.
The move by the National Coalition late on Monday followed
its announcement earlier in the day that it planned to attend
proposed peace talks with the Syrian government, if certain
conditions were met.
|
Spotlight
In-depth coverage of escalating violence
across Syria
|
It also stipulated that President "Bashar al-Assad and those
with the blood of Syrians on their hands have no role in the
transitional phase and Syria's future".
In a statement issued after two days of meetings in the
Turkish city of Istanbul, the National Coalition said it would
take part in the Geneva peace talks only if humanitarian aid is
allowed to reach besieged areas and the government releases
political prisoners.
"Whether or not to go to Geneva is the decision of the Syrian
people," Louay Safi, a member and spokesman of the National
Council, said in a statement on Sunday.
"The Coalition is nothing but a mechanism to apply their
will."
The National Coalition has struggled for months to cobble
together an interim government, in part because of infighting
among the various exile groups involved, ranging from secular
intellectuals to Islamist activists.
Western reactions
Western leaders have expressed encouragement following the
National Coalition's inclination to take part in the Geneva
talks.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi, John Kerry, US secretary of state,
said any decision by the opposition to take part in talks would
be a "big step."
"We take note of the fact that ... the Syrian opposition
voted to go to the Geneva II [conference]. This is a big step
forward and a significant one," he said.
For his part, William Hague, British foreign secretary, told
parliament MPs "I strongly welcome" the opposition's readiness
to attend the talks.
But the proposed Geneva conference faces a series of
obstacles: the most powerful and best-armed rebel groups are not
party to the talks, and most fighting units are disorganised
bands with little central command or leadership.
The coalition's already slim support inside Syria received a
severe blow in September when nearly a dozen of the most
powerful rebel factions publicly broke with the coalition.
Even if an agreement is reached in the Swiss city, it is
unclear if it will be accepted on the ground. As diplomats have
been trying to convene peace talks, the fighting on the ground
has raged on.
The brigades said they do not recognise any government formed
outside Syria.
While the opposition's talks in Turkey were taking place,
government forces took over the town of Tel Aran and other
positions in the northern province of Aleppo, state media said.
The attack on Aleppo came a day after Assad's forces
consolidated control of a key military base held by rebels since
February, part of a steadily advancing offensive that has
reversed rebel gains in recent weeks.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and an
Aleppo activist said they believed the government's gains were
partly caused by rebel infighting.
The Observatory, which receives its information from a
network of activists on the ground, also reported the government
advances.
The al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant in
particular, they said, was trying to drive weaker opposition
groups from rebel-held areas.
|