Fault lines and Militarization of Syria Conflict

Leading opposition group pulls out of ‘Friends of Syria’ meet
24 February, 2012 – Al-Akhbar

One of the main Syrian opposition groups announced on Friday it was boycotting the international “Friends of Syria” meeting in Tunis, citing concerns about Western-led military interference.

The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria (NCB) denounced what it described as attempts to leave the door open to militarize the uprising against the regime of President Bashar Assad.

It also criticized the favoring of the Western-backed Syrian National Council (SNC) over other opposition groups.

“We have seen a dangerous trend towards … specifying who represents the Syrian people … leaving the issue of armament vague and opening the door to accept the idea of foreign military intervention,” a statement said.

All that came “despite assurances from the Tunisian President [Moncef Marzouki] that opposition groups will be treated equally and that there will not be a recognition of one party at the expense of the others, and that foreign military intervention is a red line and that increasing militarization is dangerous,” it said.

The SNC, formed in exile, is a large umbrella opposition group that includes the Muslim Brotherhood and is popular with Western powers and the Arab monarchies.

The SNC have also established ties with armed rebels in Syria, lending its support to the militarization of the uprising, while the NCB insists on a pacifist revolution. …more