Syrian opposition rejects Russia’s proposal for reform process in Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian opposition figures and Gulf commentators dismissed on Wednesday, November 11 a Russian draft proposal for a process to solve the Syrian crisis, saying Moscow's aim was to keep President Bashar al-Assad in power and marginalize dissenting voices, Reuters reports.

Separately, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said that if Assad's departure were not completed peacefully, it would be achieved militarily, although he did not address the Russian proposal.

A draft document seen by Reuters on Tuesday showed Moscow would like Damascus and unspecified opposition groups to agree on launching a constitutional reform process of up to 18 months, followed by early presidential elections.

Russia, which with Iran has been Assad's top ally during Syria's nearly five-year conflict, has denied any document is being prepared before a second round of international peace talks in Vienna this week.

The text does not rule out Assad's participation in early presidential elections, something his enemies say is impossible if there is to be peace.

"The Syrian people have never accepted the dictatorship of Assad and they will not accept that it is reintroduced or reformulated in another way," said Monzer Akbik, member of the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition.

"The Russians are now trying to play the game they have been playing since Geneva," he told Reuters, referring to United Nations-led peace talks that collapsed in 2014.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Britain's Ambassador to the United Nations Matthew Rycroft played down the significance of the Russian proposal while welcoming Moscow's active involvement in trying to find an end to the Syria conflict.