The Secretary General of the Syrian National Coalition, Yahya Maktabi, condemned the head of Al-Nusra Front on Sunday for a remark criticising the Riyadh Conference. Abu Mohammed Joulani’s comment, claimed Maktabi, will be used by Syria’s main allies, Russia and Iran, for their own interests.
Speaking to Orient News TV on Saturday, Joulani criticised the conference and said that fighters who had attended had not followed the orders of their leaders. Although Al-Nusra Front was not invited to take part, he insisted that it would not have attended in any case.
“The conference is not in the interests of the people of Syria,” said Joulani, “which is unacceptable.” He added that those who attended did not have the ability to implement any outcomes on the ground.
Al-Nusra’s chief also criticised the truces agreed between Assad and opposition fighters in Syria, saying that they only benefit the regime. “Truces are the first step to surrender and take place only in the interests of the regime,” he claimed. “Whenever there is a glimmer of hope to save the Syrian people from suffering, someone steps up and brings us back to point zero.”
According to Maktabi, President Bashar Al-Assad justifies his terrorism by saying that he is acting to counter “terrorism” in Syria, which is neither accurate nor acceptable. The opposition leader praised Saudi Arabia’s efforts to bring together Syrian political and military groups.
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