Moscow Pushes a Deal between Damascus and its Opponents

http://mebriefing.com/?p=449

More than the official proceedings of the Geneva-2 meeting, it could be that events behind the scene turn out to be real determinants of Syria’s future.   The deal that Moscow believed had been extracted from Bashar Al-Assad may be fading, but the Russians are still persistently pushing it.  The Islamic Front believes that it had more than proved its anti-terrorist credentials before convening Geneva–2 when it fiercely fought the more extremist wing of the Islamic opposition represented by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).   But at the same time, the question of whether the ideological differences between both sides is real, is still lingering in many capitals involved in the Syrian crisis.  This uncertainty resounded even more loudly in the context of current attempts by Sunni scholars to mediate between the two groups.  A committee of ten Sunni Sheikhs and scholars is engaged in an effort not only to put an end to the violent confrontation between the IF and ISIL, but also to get the two sides to coordinate their joint operations against government forces.

 However, at the end of the day, the fate of these attempts to mediate on ideology and theology will only be decided by the diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the crisis.  If the sponsors of the Islamic Front believe that things are progressing positively from their perspective, the probability of further confrontations—not reconciliation—will actually grow between the two groups. This paradox stems from the fact that the real difference between the IF and ISIL is not ideological; the difference is that the former has an address that can be approached without serious problems. Western powers can talk to the sponsors of the organization and negotiate with them, if needed.