Syria: Main opposition group not to attend Geneva II conference

Syria’s main opposition group announced that it will not attend the upcoming Geneva II conference later this month. “The Syrian National Council (SNC) confirms it sees no reason to attend the Geneva conference after meetings with many international delegations in recent weeks,” SNC member Samir Nashar said. Although the National Coalition which has still not taken a definite decision, Nashar predicted that the umbrella organization would similarly not show up. The statement reiterates an earlier announcement by SNC president George Sabra in October that the group had taken a “firm decision” not to attend the talks. Sabra had also said the SNC would withdraw from the National Coalition if it decided to attend. Nashar told AFP the decision was taken after many meetings, including with the “Friends of Syria” grouping of states that support the opposition, UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and the Russian foreign ministry. Also in the past 24 hours, fierce clashes continued between the Free Syrian Army (FSA) supported by Turkey and the Al-Qaeda-linked groups supported by Saudi Arabia in Northern Syria. These clashes show intensification of rivalries in Syria between Al Saud and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs and terrorists against both the army and civilians. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since terrorist and armed groups turned protest rallies into armed clashes. The government blames outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups for the deaths, stressing that the unrest is being orchestrated from abroad.