Syria's opposition chief negotiator in UN-brokered peace talks has announced his resignation in what analysts said amounted to a warning the Geneva-based process was on its "last legs". Mohammed Alloush, a member of the Saudi-backed rebel group Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam), said on Twitter late Sunday he was resigning over the talks' failure to produce any results on humanitarian and security issues. "The endless negotiations are harming the fate of the Syrian people," Alloush said.
He blamed the "stubborn" regime for continuing to bomb Syrian cities, but also lambasted the international community for failing to secure an end to sieges, more aid access and prisoner releases. "I therefore announce my withdrawal from the delegation and my resignation" from the main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC). Syria analyst Charles Lister warned that Alloush's resignation could be the death knell for the peace talks.
"This is Jaish al-Islam's way of signalling that the Geneva process is on its absolute last legs," Lister told AFP by email. "Armed groups have been threatening to withdraw from the talks for some time now, and Jaish al-Islam's recent move will be seen as a signal for others to consider preparing for the seemingly inevitable death of the process." The UN-backed talks are aiming to reach a political settlement to Syria's five-year-war, which has left more than 280,000 people dead and driven millions into exile.
A fragile cease-fire between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and non-jihadist rebels brokered by Washington and Moscow was meant to bolster the talks, but repeated violations have left it hanging by a thread. The last round of talks in Geneva reached a deadlock in April when the HNC suspended its participation over escalating fighting on the ground.