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Bassma Kodmani made the announcement after the first round of peace talks in Geneva
The Syrian opposition has left a first round of peace talks in Geneva with a warning that there is no hope of progress unless Vladimir Putin exerts influence on Bashar al-Assad, adding that a ceasefire will collapse if planned reconvened talks on the target date of 9 April do not move quickly to the issue of a political transition.
The warning by Bassma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the high negotiating committee (HNC), came as John Kerry, the US secretary of state, met Putin in Moscow to gauge his willingness to pressure Assad to step down, and the price Russia is likely to demand in return.
Wrapping up two weeks of talks, Staffan de Mistura, the UN Syria envoy, strove to give the impression of progress by producing a statement of 12 guiding principles.
It makes no mention of the fate of Assad – an issue the Syrian government insists is excluded from the talks – or a transitional governing body.
“I am expecting and hoping that the next round of talks will not be focussing on principles again – we have had enough of that – but will start to focus on the political process and for us that is political transition,” De Mistura said. A cessation of hostilities will be impossible to sustain without a political process, he added.
De Mistura said his target date for resuming the talks was 9 April, but appeared to acknowledged the government delegation may not return to Geneva until later. “If people want to come on [13 or 14 April] they are warmly welcome,” he said.
Assad is staging parliamentary elections on 14 April, a round of elections the UN does not recognise. Asked how he would prevent the Syrian government continuing to prevaricate, De Mistura said the art of diplomacy was creativity.
The statement of principles includes commitments to a democratic non-sectarian state based on political pluralism, a rejection of revenge, equal treatment for women (including 30% of parliamentary seats), the rebuilding of a strong unified army, a right of return for refugees, retention of the territorial integrity of Syria and a future democracy in which the Syrian people have the exclusive right to to choose their political system without foreign interference.
Privately, the HNC claims De Mistura admits he is powerless to force the government to negotiate on this vision, and is left largely waiting for Putin, or, less likely, Iran, to pressurise Assad to move at a faster pace.
The Americans accept that Putin, following his successful military intervention, is now the lead power broker in Syria.
Kodmani, a distinguished Paris-based political academic, said: “This is a precious, unique moment and we hope Russia will seize this moment and use its leverage to ensure that the international consensus is implemented.
Vladimir Putin shakes hands with John Kerry during a meeting at the Kremlin
“Without this leverage on the regime we have little hope that anything can happen or that talks here in Geneva can produce any significant results.”
She added: “Violations by the regime are increasing every day and the sustainability of it may be under threat if no progress is achieved on the level of political talks.”
Kerry said ahead of his talks with Putin: “It is fair to say the serious approach we’ve been able to cooperate on has made a difference to the life of people in Syria and the possibilities of making progress peace.”
“I know [Putin has] have ideas and made a very critical decision with respect to the drawdown of forces in Syria, and we have some ideas for how we can most effectively make progress in Geneva.”
The HNC nevertheless left Geneva feeling positive that the talks served to put the spotlight on the government, something Assad dislikes. Kodmani said: “I think out of these two weeks we come out with the feeling that we have perhaps laid the basis for substantive talks that will lead us directly to a discussion about political transition in April.”
She also claimed the opposition had shown itself to be “diverse, inclusive, representative, capable of making decisions and implementing then”.
She added the Assad tactics only offered the world, and his own constituents, more violence.
Kodmani said the HNC was committed to to a continuity of state institutions, including the army. There was no intention to dismantle the army, she said. Instead the aim was to rebuild it on new foundations.
Syria needed a form of transitional justice involving different prosecution, reconciliation and reparation, Kodmani said.
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