ISTANBUL // Attempts to revitalise the opposition Syrian National Coalition and widen its narrow support base were in disarray yesterday after efforts to significantly expand its membership stalled.
A key decision about attendance at the Geneva 2 talks had also not been made, with a senior SNC official saying that more details were needed.
“We are waiting to hear the outcome of the Kerry-Lavrov talks, the outcome of the EU arms embargo talks, and for more details about the negotiations before we decide,” he said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov discussed Syria in Paris yesterday, each backing different sides in the rapidly expanding civil war.
The Russians have secured an agreement in principle from the Syrian regime to take part in the planned Geneva 2 talks, while the SNC remains uncommitted.
An increasingly rancourous dispute over control of the opposition alliance has pushed the SNC to the brink of collapse in Istanbul over the past five days.
“If we do not solve our internal problems here and now there will be no coalition left to speak of,” an SNC member said.
What was supposed to be a brief conference dealing with a host of pressing issues has, instead, become an embarrassing display of internal politicking and inefficiency.
It has undermined the already threadbare credibility of the main opposition alliance, both inside Syria and in the eyes of its international backers.
An opposition organiser in Damascus said the SNC had missed a chance to make itself relevant, just as the Syrian crisis is dramatically escalating and a strong, united opposition front was needed.
“The fighting groups and the activists working inside Syria were demanding to be represented in the coalition but remain excluded,” he said.
“Since it was formed the SNC has done nothing tangible on the ground, it is a failure,” he said.
The timing could hardly be more critical.
Rebels are fighting against impossible odds in Qusayr, under a heavy assault from regime troops and Shiite militants from Hezbollah.
The European Union is currently considering lifting an arms embargo – which in theory would aid the supply of weapons to the Free Syrian Army, the SNC’s military wing – and the opposition risks being outmanoeuvred on the diplomatic front after the Syrian regime indicated it would take part in the Geneva 2 peace talks, tentatively scheduled for next month.
Problems within the SNC came to a head in the early hours of yesterday morning
A secular grouping, led by veteran dissident Michael Kilo, together with other, smaller blocs, had sought to add 22 seats to the 63-member alliance.
The Kilo grouping is a liberal, broadly secular bloc that its supporters say would counter the dominance of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and help reassure the SNC’s international allies that it will safeguard sectarian and ethnic minorities.
But, in a 3am vote yesterday, after four days of deadlocked, at times angry, talks, just eight new seats were approved.
Six members from Mr Kilo’s bloc, were given places in the SNC - far short of the 25 it had opened the negotiation process with on Thursday.
Jamal Suleman, a popular actor, Anwar Badr, an Alawite writer and former political prisoner and Mr Kilo were all voted in.
Under SNC rules, existing members were required to vote on who should join and each candidate needed 42 ballots for approval.
Adding more than 20 seats would have significantly altered the balance of power within the SNC.
But entrenched members elected not to dilute their influence by opening the doors to what would have been another major bloc.
Broad Inclusion of Mr Kilo’s group would have weakened a widely held perception of excessive dominance dominance of the Muslim Brotherhood, one major faction, and a grouping headed by the Qatari-backed SNC secretary general, Mustafa Sabbagh.
The SNC has a reputation even in opposition circles, as being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, with backing of Qatar and, to a lesser extent, Turkey.
In the days running up to the Istanbul conference – originally scheduled for three days but extended to six – a deal was reportedly brokered between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood to significantly expand the SNC, in exchange for a serious injection of funding from international backers.
Western supporters of the opposition were also advocating for an expansion to counter the dominance of Islamists and improve the image of the SNC within Syria’s sectarian and ethnic groups.
That deal appeared to have broken down yesterday, amid furious recriminations.
“There was a shouting match between the French and one element of the SNC,” said an opposition member who was present.
“The French said ‘unless you expand you will get no support from any of us’, and was told ‘leave us alone, we don’t need your support’."
International pressure on the SNC has, members said, been intense.
An SNC official described it as counterproductive.
“The Kilo group came with all these international supporters and Syrians don’t like to be put under that kind of pressure, it doesn’t work,” he said,
There were also signs last night that Mr Kilo’s bloc was beginning to fragment, with members saying they were representing themselves and talk of defections, according to SNC members involved in the talks.
By yesterday evening what was being called a “reconciliation” effort was underway, with members locked in a conference hall and told they could not leave until they had settled their differences.
Divisions have plagued Syria’s opposition since the start of the uprising in March 2011.
Moaz al Khatib, the former president of the SNC, resigned earlier this year, in part because of refusals within the alliance to widen its membership.
psands@thenational.ae
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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Pataal Lok season two
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
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Champions League Last 16
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
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Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Dubai Bling season three
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
