Syrian Foreign Minister: Assad is a Red Line and We Will Not Negotiate on Him

The Syrian government announced on Saturday, just two days before the resumption of negotiations hoped to end the crisis in the country, that the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power remains a 'red line.' News agencies reported on Saturday, March 22, the statements of Walid Moallem, the foreign minister of Assad's government, at a press conference in Damascus, where he emphasized, 'We will not negotiate with anyone who wants to discuss the presidency, and Bashar al-Assad is a red line.' He added, 'If the negotiating parties continue with such an approach, there is no reason to come to Geneva.' The Syrian foreign minister also stressed that government representatives would go to Switzerland on Sunday to participate in the talks. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, these talks, initiated by the United Nations, represent the latest effort to find a solution to the five-year Syrian war, which has resulted in the deaths of over 270,000 people. Both Bashar al-Assad's government and the main opposition group known as the High Negotiations Committee, supported by Saudi Arabia, have agreed to participate in this round of negotiations, following the failure of the previous round in February. By Saturday evening, Mohammad Alloush, the chief negotiator for the opposition, and Asaad al-Zoubi, head of the High Negotiations Committee, had arrived in Geneva for the talks, and Hassan Abdulazim, a member of the opposition delegation, stated that 'despite the Assad regime counting on the absence of the opposition in Geneva, the opposition has come to Geneva united in vision, strategy, and formation.' Meanwhile, Agence France-Presse quoted Stefan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, as saying that he does not expect this round of negotiations to last more than 10 days. The report quoted Mr. de Mistura as saying that the current round of negotiations will focus on 'forming a new government and a new constitution' as well as 'holding presidential and parliamentary elections within 18 months.' These statements contradict the position of the Syrian foreign minister, who stated that there is 'no right' to discuss future presidential elections. Walid Moallem added that neither the UN envoy nor anyone else has the right to comment on presidential elections, as, according to him, 'such a right belongs exclusively to the Syrian people.' He also mentioned that negotiations would likely lead to the formation of a national unity government, which would appoint a committee to draft a new constitution or amend the current constitution. The Syrian foreign minister rejected the possibility of federalism in the country, emphasizing that any new constitution or amendments must be put to a referendum. Agence France-Presse noted that the High Negotiations Committee also agrees on the unity of Syria but seeks to establish a 'transitional government with full executive powers.' However, the same agency quoted Mohammad Alloush, the chief negotiator for the opposition, stating that the Syrian foreign minister's remarks are 'ridiculous and indicate that the regime is not serious about the political process.' Among the opposition groups, the Syrian Kurds do not have a representative in the High Negotiations Committee, despite both the UN representative emphasizing the necessity of their presence in the negotiations and the Assad government requesting the UN to invite Kurdish representatives to the talks.