Syria proposes ceasefire in Aleppo

The Syrian government

yesterday proposed a ceasefire with rebel forces in the city of Aleppo and said it was willing to exchange detainee lists with the opposition to pave the way for a possible prisoner exchange.

The proposals – which Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem said he had given to Russia – appeared to be an effort by the government to show good faith days before an international peace conference aimed at ending Syria’s civil war is to be convened in Switzerland.

It remains unclear who will attend the conference, set to open next Wednesday in Geneva. Although the Syrian government has accepted the invitation, it suggested the conference’s goal should be fighting “terrorism”.

Unwillingness to engage
The West is increasingly concerned about extremist militants in the insurgency and their potential to become a threat outside Syria, but the government uses "terrorism" to describe the entire rebel movement that seeks to topple President Bashar al-Assad, so such statements suggest an unwillingness to engage with legitimate grievances against his rule.

Many of the government’s enemies have deep reservations about the conference and the opposition’s exile leadership, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, met yesterday in Istanbul to decide whether to attend.

A decision seemed unlikely, however, with dozens of members either refusing to attend the meeting altogether or withdrawing once they arrived, arguing that peace negotiations were against the founding principles of the coalition, a spokesman said.

“Geneva is not an easy decision,” said the spokesman, Khaled Saleh, as his group continued heated sessions in a resort hotel in Istanbul’s Silvri district, miles from the city centre.

“We’re talking about 90 to 95 different groups trying to figure out the chances of success in Geneva, asking, ‘Why go?’” he added, referring to the coalition’s numerous factions.

The approximately 44 members who refused to attend questioned the benefits of participating in Geneva and criticized Ahmad al-Jarba, the coalition president, for committing to the talks in September without the consent of coalition members, Saleh said.

While few expect the conference will fulfil its stated goal of creating a transitional government with full executive powers, its supporters hope it will at least lead to increased humanitarian access and local ceasefires to make life easier for Syrian civilians.

– (New York Times)