UN Withdraws Invitation to Iran for Geneva II

The UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon has withdrawn his invitation to Iran to join this week’s Syria peace talks, the so-called Geneva II. The secretary general voiced his deep disappointment by Iran’s statement earlier today concerning Geneva II conference. (AP, 20 January)

The invitation was withdrawn shortly after Iran’s ambassador to the UN announced that Iran would not attend Geneva II if required to accept the Geneva I agreement of 2012.

A UN spokesman said senior Iranian officials have assured the Secretary General that Iran understood the terms of his invitation.

Meanwhile, the Syrian National Coalition announced that it will take part in Geneva II after the UN withdrew its invitation to Iran.

Photo credit: The UN Security Council, Monday 20 January 2014. (Craig Ruttle/AP)

Syrian Opposition Will Attend Geneva II

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC) announced today that it will attend next week’s Geneva II conference aimed at ending the country's bloody civil war. The SNC's General Assembly voted 58-15 in favor of attending the conference. The decision would bring the rebels face-to-face with the Syrian government representatives. (AP, 18 January)

Geneva II conference will open Wednesday in the Swiss city of Montreux.

Photo credit: SNC General Assembly, 18 January 2014. (AFP)

Syrian National Coalition Receives Wide Recognition

More Than 100 Countries Recognize SNC at Marrakech Conference

More than 100 countries on Wednesday recognized the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the newly formed opposition umbrella group fighting to overthrow the Assad regime. The recognition by so many countries will open the way for greater humanitarian as well as military assistance to the opposition forces.

The decision to recognize SNC was taken during a meeting of “Friends of the Syrian People” in Marrakech, Morocco. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the meeting demonstrated “extraordinary progress” for the Syrian opposition in their struggle against Assad. He added that the European Union will now review its policy of arms embargo to Syria every three months, leaving the door open for arming the rebels soon.

“We want to have the ability to continue or to change our attitude on this point — the fact that the coalition, which is asking for the right to defend itself — is now being recognized by a hundred countries, yesterday the U.S. and first France, I think this is a very important point,” Fabius said (AP, 12 December)

The Marrakesh conference came hours after President Barack Obama declared that SNC was the legitimate representative of its country's people.

At the conference, Syrian opposition spokesman Walid al-Bunni called for “real support” and not just recognition. The Syrian National Coalition, formed in November during a conference in Doha, Qatar, has been calling for increased international support, including military material.

“We need not only bread to help our people… We need support for our Syrian army — we need to speed up things and get rid of this regime,” said opposition spokesman Saleem Abdul Aziz al-Meslet. (AP, 12 December)

Photo credit: ‘Friends of Syrian People’ Conference in Marrakech, Morocco. 12 December 2012. Pictured: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (R) and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (2-R). French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is seated in the middle. Representatives of more than 100 countries attended the conference. (EPA/TIM BRAKEMEIER)