Abdollahian: Groups Linked to ISIS Attended Riyadh Meeting

The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, described the meeting of representatives of the Syrian opposition groups in Riyadh as 'contrary' to the Vienna-2 statement and emphasized that 'some terrorist groups linked to ISIS' were present at this meeting. On Thursday, December 10, he stated, 'Terrorists will never be allowed to introduce themselves as moderate opposition and shape the future of Syria and the region.' Amir-Abdollahian did not specify the names of the groups he referred to as 'linked to ISIS.' In recent days, Iranian officials have also protested the holding of the Riyadh meeting. While Saudi Arabia supports opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Islamic Republic labels all armed groups opposing him as 'terrorist groups.' Representatives of the Syrian opposition gathered in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss ways to unify in negotiations with the Syrian government. Although Riyadh claims to have invited all 'moderate opposition' groups to participate in this meeting, the presence of groups like Jaish al-Islam and Ahrar al-Sham has led some groups to abstain from attending. Meanwhile, reports indicate that Ahrar al-Sham, an ally of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front, announced it would withdraw from the meeting due to the involvement of figures linked to the Syrian government. The Syrian Kurds were not invited to the Riyadh meeting and instead held a two-day meeting in the Hasakah province in northeastern Syria with some other opposition members. In his remarks on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian called the Riyadh meeting 'contrary' to the Vienna-2 statement and stressed that according to this statement, the UN is 'responsible for identifying' the groups opposing Bashar al-Assad. Last month, foreign ministers from nearly 20 countries reached an agreement at the Vienna-2 meeting on a deadline to begin talks between Bashar al-Assad's government and his opponents. This plan, which still lacks complete details, set January 1, 2016, as the deadline for the start of negotiations. According to this plan, within six months, negotiations must lead to the establishment of a 'credible, inclusive, and non-sectarian' transitional government, which would schedule the drafting of a new constitution and elections under UN supervision within 18 months. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stated on December 3 that the international body is working to create dialogue between Bashar al-Assad and his opposition groups and to establish a ceasefire in Syria starting in early January of the coming year.