Saudi daily al-Sharq al-Awsat wrote in a report on Monday that along with Qatar’s attempts to make a deal with Turkey over its Syria policies, al-Attiye also held meetings with several main Takfiri militant groups fighting to topple the Syrian government.
Militant leaders of active groups from nearly all over Syria, including Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Homs and Hama were present in the meetings with Qatari officials. However, the meeting with Takfiri groups did not include al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and al-Nusra Front.
According to the paper Syria’s Takfiri groups met to decide about parting from the so-called Free Syrian Army (FSA) and form a new armed force.
The article cites sources among the militant groups saying that their leaders could not get Qatar’s definite support for their decision, instead they saw al-Attiya seeking some changes in the Syrian opposition leadership.
Qatari Foreign minister also met with leader of Syria’s Muslim Brotherhood Mohammad Riad al-Shaqfeh in Istanbul and called for closer ties and more cooperation for toppling Syrian government.
The article says the two-day round of meetings did not end with any consensus because, first, the Takfiri groups wanted more shares in making decisions in the so-called Syrian National Council with represents hundreds of armed groups fighting in Syria. Second, they wanted Qatar to guarantee that they can form a caliphate after the government is removed in Syria.
Al-Attiye told the Takfiri groups that his country is committed to helping them but not to this extent, according to the paper.
These militant groups refuse to take orders from the so-called Free Syrian Army commander Salim Idris, forming only one of the deep divisions the foreign-backed Syrian opposition has been dealing with during the past months.
After months of relative science and less activities regarding Syria which followed replacement of Qatari king by his son, it seems that Cairo is resuming its role as one of the biggest supporters and spenders of the Syria war.
Qatar’s fresh mediations comes as the Syrian opposition on Sunday said it would not take part in Geneva talks aimed at finding a solution to the deadly war which is taking more lives every day with no end in the sight, unless a date is set for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s departure.
The opposition which has shown signs of deep divisions in the past months is facing with great rivalry power struggles that have left the group unable to adopt a unique stance over major issues.
Tens of militants groups, many of them linked to al-Qaeda, had already rejected the Geneva talks and announced that participating in negotiations was an act of treason.
Opposition’s alliance to al-Qaeda-linked groups and their reluctance to cooperate for ending the war has caused many of their supporters to side with the government.
The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.
The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years.
SHI/SHI