Assad Must Step down before Dialogue, Say Opposition Figures
A group of key Syrian political opposition figures including former Premier Riad Hijab and long-time dissident Riad Seif have ruled out any dialogue with Damascus before President Bashar Assad steps down.
The consensus was reached at a meeting in Amman attended by 25 opposition figures ahead of a key meeting of the Syrian National Council in the Qatari capital to decide the future of the exiled opposition bloc, Hijab's office said in a statement received on Saturday.
"Assad and his entourage leaving power is a non-negotiable precondition for any dialogue aimed at finding a non-military solution, if that is still possible," they agreed.
Among others who attended the Amman meeting on Thursday were Ali Sadreddin Bayanuni of the Muslim Brotherhood, Wael Mirza of the SNC, veteran Walid Bunni and Michel Kilo as well as Kurdish and tribal representatives.
Reports have emerged that Washington wants an overhaul of the opposition, amid concerns that the SNC is not representative enough, with Seif touted as the potential head of a new government-in-exile.
The United States is expected to press in Doha on Sunday for a new umbrella organization to unite the country's fractured regime opponents.
Source: Agence France Presse
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