What is needed from the current Astana consultations is to “open the Syrian bridges to each other” and speak boldly about the problems facing those inside the country, Naim Ibrahim writes in loyalist newspaper Al-Watan
Opposition website Enab Baladi reports on the eleventh-hour struggle between political and armed opposition groups to form a delegation for next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime
Opposition outlet AlSouria Net speaks with the Syrian actor and member of the Cairo platform about next week’s negotiations in Geneva with the Assad regime, the role rebel groups will play, as well as Moscow’s intentions surrounding the political process in Syria
Various opposition groups are refusing to cooperate to form a delegation for the upcoming Geneva negotiations with the Assad regime, as rifts emerge between the HNC and rebel leaders who participated in the Astana meetings late last month, Ibrahim Hamidi writes
Editor-in-chief of the pro-regime online newspaper admonishes the US president for continuing to support key regional allies and failing to back Syria, Russia and Iran’s fight against terror in the Middle East
Political opposition stands its ground against attempts by Moscow to influence the make-up of its negotiating delegation at the upcoming Geneva talks, while the US presidency begins meetings with UN and regional leaders on the Syrian issue, Sada al-Sham writes
Walid Bunni argues that America’s success in reversing the Trump travel ban is evidence of the importance of a democratic system that adheres to the separation of powers between the executive, judicial and legislative branches
President Assad told Belgian media that statements made by Trump are promising regarding the priority of fighting terrorists, and mainly ISIS. Below is the full text as appeared on SANA:
In the lead-up to the Syria talks in Geneva, attendees should prepare for the US president to shift focus from the political process to the issue of establishing safe zones, Ali Dahi writes in loyalist Al-Watan
Saudi-owned Al-Hayat details the recommendations inside the separate Kurdish and Russian draft constitutions, which call for greater autonomy for Kurds and a more decentralized government, while also acknowledging the multi-ethnic make-up of Syria’s demography
Rebel representative denies opposition delegates agreed to consider Russia’s draft constitution, saying that three issues will determine whether the opposition will continue its participation in political process — these include consolidating the ceasefire, bringing in humanitarian aid and releasing prisoners, Alsouria Net writes
Government news agency SANA publishes transcript of Syrian president’s interview with Japanese journalist regarding the state of the current ceasefire, this week’s peace talks in Kazakhstan, and what is likely to come from a Trump presidency
Loyalist Al-Watan newspaper writes that Erdogan’s mounting domestic and international problems will force the Turkish president to accept that the only way to restore his regional standing will be through rapprochement with Assad
Writing for All4Syria, Walid Bunni urges opposition factions attending the upcoming talks in Astana to resist foreign pressure for short-term gains
Opposition members reportedly met with Trump’s Middle East adviser in November in an effort to secure support for a post-Assad transition
Deputy head of the Syrian Interim Government expresses hope that a Trump presidency will contribute to Turkey’s efforts to ensure a successful ceasefire in Syria
Obama’s two terms and the lie of the bloody Arab Spring made us feel that George W. Bush was a dove of peace. Bush did not, in practice, destroy anywhere but Iraq, given that Afghanistan was already destroyed, whereas Obama went ceaselessly from Syria to Libya and Yemen.
Walid Bunni asks whether the US president-elect will continue the Obama administration’s stance in denying the goals and freedoms of the region’s people for the past eight years
What Moscow is trying to achieve with the political settlement depends to a large extent on the Turkish and Iranian positions, and on the possibility of reaching clear agreements between these actors amid independent efforts to direct their battles in ways which achieve only their interests
Russia’s acknowledgment of the armed opposition is one of the requirements of profiting politically from the victory in Aleppo. This means that transforming the military victory into a political settlement requires recognizing the enemy before sitting with him and agreeing to a solution to the conflict.
