Free Syrian Army chief says forces will not join peace summit

Gen Salim Idriss says conditions ‘not suitable’ for Geneva 2 talks

Free Syrian Army fighters  near a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon at al-Jarba area near the fifth bridge area on Damascus International Airport Road at the weekend. Photograph: Msallam Abd Albaset/Reuters
Free Syrian Army fighters near a pick-up truck mounted with an anti-aircraft weapon at al-Jarba area near the fifth bridge area on Damascus International Airport Road at the weekend. Photograph: Msallam Abd Albaset/Reuters

The head of the Free Syrian Army said today that rebel forces loyal to him would not join a planned peace conference in Switzerland in January and would continue their fight to topple President Bashar al-Assad throughout the talks.

"Conditions are not suitable for running the Geneva 2 talks at the given date, and we, as a military and revolutionary force, will not participate in the conference," General Salim Idriss told the pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera.

“We will not stop combat at all during the Geneva conference or after it, and what concerns us is getting needed weapons for our fighters.”

Reuters

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