Syria’s opposition, divided and varied, to get a new face
BEIRUT — Syria’s notoriously fragmented opposition gathering Wednesday in the Saudi capital is trying to close ranks and come up with a unified vision as international efforts appeared headed toward a resolution that would preserve the rule of President Bashar Assad.
The opposition remains rife with disagreements and is weakened by its allies’ distraction with other conflicts. President Bashar Assad, in contrast, is the most secure in his post since the war began, boosted by significant military victories backed by his allies Russia and Iran that have turned the tide of the conflict.
Days ahead of a new round of peace talks in Geneva, and a new separate effort by Russia to bring the opposition and the government together, the opposition is meeting in Riyadh to choose new representatives.
Hours before the meeting, a dozen opposition figures, including the head of the Riyadh-formed High Negotiations Committee Riad Hijab, resigned, apparently in protest of others being too willing to accept the continued rule of a man they view as a discredited tyrant.