Kerry praises Syrian opposition gathering but divisions remain

Secretary of State John F. Kerry praised the “positive outcome” of a Syrian opposition conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, despite evidence of deep and ongoing divisions among rival rebel factions over the prospect of a future peace negotiation with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

While one influential faction reportedly pulled out in protest over the role being given to others that it claims are too close to the Assad regime, Mr. Kerry asserted from Washington that participants in the conference were in agreement on “how to advance a political settlement to end the conflict in Syria.”

“We appreciate that this extremely diverse group of Syrians put aside differences in the interest of building a new Syria,” the secretary of state said in a statement.

However, Mr. Kerry also acknowledged there is “difficult work ahead” — an apparent reference to the fact that not all of the opposition participants had come away unified from the two-day conference that wrapped up Thursday in Riyadh.

The Associated Press reported that Ahrar al-Sham, a Saudi-backed ultraconservative group operating mainly in northern Syria, withdrew as the gathering came to a close Thursday, and that the group had issued a statement complaining that the conference had failed to “confirm the Muslim identity of our people.”

But representatives from other groups in attendance said most participants had agreed on the establishment of a “supreme council” made up of 32 opposition members and rebel faction officials who will later chose 15 final representatives to negotiate with the Assad regime on behalf of the opposition.

A senior member of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), a key Western-backed opposition group, told AP that most participants also agreed on its vision for a civil, democratic Syria and a transitional government that would respect human rights and the territorial integrity of Syria.

What remains unclear is the role Mr. Assad may be allowed to play in that transitional government.

The Obama administration has offered mixed messages on the issue. And some international diplomats have argued the embattled Syrian president — whose forces have for years been accused of carrying out genocide-like attacks on Syrian civilians — may be allowed to stay in power for an unspecified time.

The SNC and other participants at the Riyadh meeting insisted that Assad can not be allowed a role in any transitional government, according to AP.

Mr. Kerry, meanwhile, said he had spoken to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to organize the next Syria meeting, tentatively set for Dec. 18 at U.N. headquarters in New York.

A peace plan agreed to last month set a Jan. 1 deadline for the start of talks between the Assad government and opposition groups.