Syrian Democratic Forum on Geneva-2 conference, refusal to meet Russian Official

The Syrian Democratic Forum doubts that the Geneva II conference will convene to discuss the Syrian crisis and try to reach a solution to the conflict. The forum added that the climate is not amenable to the convocation of the conference in view of the difficulty of implementing the international treaties toward civilians and fighters in the coming battles. The forum added that "it does not reject attending the Geneva II conference in principle, but it doubts that it will convene". Samir al-Aytah, member of the Syrian Democratic Forum, told Ilaf that the forum declined an invitation to meet with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on 25 June following a meeting on 5 June attended by forum member Muhammad Makhluf. Instead, the forum sent a message to Bogdanov explaining that "the forum is not opposed to Geneva II or to meetings with Russian officials; it supports all meetings that may serve Syrian interests. However, the forum doubts that the Geneva II will convene in light of the current circumstances and the absence of practical steps by the regime". The message emphasized: "The regime has not taken any step demonstrating its seriousness to sit at the negotiations table. Instead, it is continuing its military assaults thus undermining the chances for convening the conference in the near future". The message called on the Russian officials to put pressure on the regime in Syria to release at least the moderate political detainees, like Abd-al-Aziz al-Khayr, Mazin Darwish, and Zaydun al-Zu'bi. It added that preserving the lives of the moderate political activists who are able to give the voice of reason the upper hand is the least that Russia can do to put pressure to help on ensuring the success of the negotiations track". The message also urged Russia "to put pressure in order to enable the United Nations to send humanitarian relief aid to all the regions, which would reduce the tension on the ground and reinforce the approach for negotiations". It called on Russia "to proclaim a clear and balanced stand that it is necessary to take to account those that perpetrated serious human rights violations regardless of whether they are from the regime or the opposition".

 

In its message, the Syrian Democratic Forum added: "The climate does not permit the convocation of Geneva II, particularly in regards to forcing the implementation of international agreements on civilians and combatants equally in the coming battles, proclaiming a cease-fire, releasing the detainees, exchanging prisoners, and allowing free demonstrations in view of the absence of agreement between Russia and the United States on the concept of a government enjoying full powers, particularly powers related to the army, the security organs, and the Central Bank, and in view of the vagueness in a mechanism to represent the Free Syrian Army [FSA] and the supreme Kurdish body. In his statement to Ilaf, Al-Aytah emphasized that these are very reasonable reasons for not accepting the invitation at the time. He added that it is natural for a Syrian opposition side to take a stand against "the negative Russian stand in defending the peaceful political activists and for not putting pressure on the regime to rectify this situation". He added: "The statement issued by the forum clarifies that the message does not sever the dialogue with Russia or with the United States and the United Nations, the sponsors of the Geneva conference.

However, dialogue is not the goal in itself; the goal is to end the suffering of the Syrian people". Al-Aytah went on to point out to Ilaf that in order not to confuse the issue, "we should clarify that the Democratic Forum has nothing to do with the expansion of the coalition. The forum had affirmed that it is outside the coalition since it was established and that the members of the forum who joined did so in their personal names. He added: "The forum takes this position because of the bad performance of the coalition and its inability to serve the national issue and alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people despite all the international support it received". Al-Aytah emphasized: "Therefore the forum has nothing to do with the disputes within the coalition". The recent statement issued by the Syrian Democratic Forum also emphasized that "the forum strongly criticizes the coalition and its performance. However, it is determined that its stands do not serve the manipulations of the current regime's intelligence organs and their attempts to divide the divide the opposition and bury the revolution alive". Regarding the regime's repeated false accusations that the national opposition is dependent on external quarters, the statement said "The forum's policy is clear".

 

Source: London Ilaf