The opposition vs. Assad / Awaiting a push by Washington
More than 70 Syrians were killed over the weekend in the largest anti-government protests yet against President Bashar Assad’s regime, with around 50 killed in the city of Hama alone, according to a Syrian human rights group. A Kurdish source says Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem was in Iraq Tuesday in an effort to meet with Massoud Barzani, the president of Iraqi Kurdistan. He wanted to convince Barzani to prevail on Syrian Kurds not to join the anti-government revolt, but Barzani refused to meet with the Syrian minister, the source says.
The Syrian regime is operating on the assumption that if it can split the opposition to Assad’s government by enlisting Kurdish support or entering a dialogue with opposition groups, it can paint the other protest groups as subversives who don’t represent the public. To further that goal, Assad has decided to set up a national dialogue committee, which would be followed by a clear timetable for talks with the opposition.