Alwaght- Three days on since the recent agreement of the US and Russia on the issue of Syria, the first signs of its fragility are evident. As expected, and just like the other peace negotiations, Saudi-backed opposition groups sabotaged the agreement.

Riyad Farid Hijab, coordinator of the Saudi-backed coalition of Syrian rebels known as the High Negotiations Committee, has stated that this committee is against any agreement between the US and Russia that opposes their proposed leader for Syria.

This committee was also present in the failed UN-led negotiations on the issue of Syria. In London, the committee proposed its plan for a political transition in Syria. The plan consisted of a period of six months of negotiations to form a transitional government which would include members from the rebels, the government, and civil society. According to this plan, Bashar al-Assad should step down at the end of a six-month period. Afterwards, the interim government will run the country for 18 months, and provide the needed groundwork for elections.

As mentioned before, the High Negotiations Committee is backed by the Saudis. In fact, this coalition was formed by Saudi Arabia and under its supervision, and it is supposed to move towards the objectives and interests of the Saudis. So it is obvious that this committee’s stances towards Syria, are the same as Saudi Arabia’s positions and stances towards this country.

As it seems, Saudi Arabia is not happy with the recent agreement of the US and Russia. From a general perspective, it appears that the Saudis are against differentiating extremist groups from moderate groups. This was also a subject that for a long time had delayed the process of coming to an agreement on the issue of Syria. Russia had repeatedly asked the US to separate the moderate groups from extremist ones, but Washington ignored this demand for a long time. Now that the US and Russia have finally come to an agreement, Saudi Arabia is concerned because some of the groups under its support would be considered extremist groups.

In this regard, the al-Nusra Front should be noted. Since shortly after the rise of conflicts in Syria, this group changed its name to Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, and by doing so, the group’s name was taken out of the list of terrorist groups, which currently allows them to play a part in the potential future of Syria.

Some believe that the most important achievement for Russia in the recent agreement was persuading Washington to cooperate with Moscow in operations that target al-Qaeda (al-Nusra Front or Jabhat Fateh al-Sham) and ISIS terrorists in Syria. US’ acceptance of this condition has been described as it falling into the trap of the Russians. Some also believe by doing so, the US has agreed with the destruction and annihilation of militia groups, whether they are of the moderate type, or not.

Besides this factor, another reason that led to the unhappiness of Saudis with the recent agreements, was US’ lack of consultation with Saudi Arabia. This issue became more important in light of the rising tension between Saudis and Washington. The tensions rose due to issues such as the suability of Saudi Arabia by victims of the September 11 attack.

It was not long after the agreement, that the Syrian government declared it supports the US-Russia agreement, and will adhere to its obligations accordingly.

Initially, the US had faced opposition from rebel groups that must be managed. On this basis, it is expected that even if the High Negotiations Committee, as a player that is trying to establish itself as a bringer of peace to Syria, refrains from disrupting the agreement directly, other groups affiliated with this Committee will prevent the agreement from stepping into the next phase by any means possible. The next step for this agreement is going to be joint operations against terrorists by Russia and the US. It is obvious that above all, coordination and joint actions in Syria by Russia and the US can cost a lot for Saudi Arabia and its allies.

By Al Waght