BICOM

The head of the internationally recognised Syrian opposition, the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), yesterday strengthened his call for dialogue with the regime of President Assad in order to bring Syria’s bloody internal conflict to an end.

Moaz al-Khatib first suggested talks with the Assad regime last week, but was forced to clarify that his comments were made in a ‘personal capacity,’ following opposition from within the SNC, which has until now opposed talks with Assad’s government until the president relinquishes power.

However, al-Khatib yesterday publicly reiterated his position telling Al-Jazeera “The regime must take a clear stand (on dialogue) and we say we will extend our hand for the interest of people and to help the regime leave peacefully.” He was also quoted on Al-Arabiya TV saying, “I ask the regime to send (Vice-President) Farouq al-Sharaa – if it accepts the idea – and we can sit with him…The issue is now in the state’s court… to accept negotiations for departure, with fewer losses.” Vice President al-Sharaa is viewed as the most moderate of the senior Syrian leadership.

There has been no response to al-Khatib’s suggestion from Assad’s government. However, al-Khatib met with the foreign ministers of Assad’s most significant international allies, Russia and Iran over the weekend at a security conference in Munich. He reportedly asked them to pass on his offer of negotiations to Assad. Meanwhile, the United States expressed support for al-Khatib’s initiative. According to AFP, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, “If the regime has any interest in peace, it should sit down and talk now with the Syrian Opposition Coalition, and we would strongly support al-Khatib in that call.”