Syrian peace talks on the rocks after opposition negotiator quits
Mohammed Aloush, the chief negotiator for the Syrian opposition group at the Geneva peace talks, has resigned. Deutsche Welle (DW) spoke with Middle East expert Udo Steinbach about the causes and consequences.
DW: Prof. Steinbach, what do you make of Mohammed Aloush (above, center) stepping back from the Syrian peace talks? Is it merely a tactic, or does this mean the talks have collapsed?
Steinbach: The negotiations never really got going. And the Syrian government is continuing its military attacks on civilian targets. If you look at it like that, then Aloush's resignation seems logical. You could speculate that Aloush, as the leader of an Islamist organization, has close ties with the Saudis, and that Saudi Arabia has, in recent weeks, been pushing for stronger support for the Syrian opposition. You could then view the resignation as opening the door to increased military measures, instead of diplomacy with regard to the regime in Damascus.
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