Damascus reportedly interested in discussing brief truce with Syrian rebels

The Syrian government may be interested in pursuing a UN-Arab League plan for a temporary truce with rebels starting next week, an official in Damascus said Tuesday.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi was quoted by AFP as saying that the government was interested in looking into a ceasefire with the rebels in advance of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The three-day holiday begins at sundown on October 25 and ends October 28.

“In order to succeed in any initiative, it takes two sides,” Makdissi told AFP, adding that in order for the violence to stop, the rebels and their backers would need to be involved as well.

Riad al-Asaad, a commander of the Free Syrian Army and a former colonel in the Syrian Air Force, criticized the government’s motion, saying a ceasefire should exist “for good, and not merely for three days,” Israel Radio reported.

UN-Arab League envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said Monday he was seeking a three-day ceasefire to coincide with the holiday, proposing the measure during recent meetings with world leaders. Brahimi, currently in Cairo and rounding out his five-country regional tour to promote the peace plan, highlighted the “urgency of ending the bloodshed [in Syria],” AFP reported.

Syria’s official government news agency SANA said Makdissi “voiced hope that Brahimi will bring from these countries something to lead to the success of any constructive initiative.” Makdisi was quoted by SANA saying that Syria already demonstrated commitment to international [ceasefire] initiatives “that were ultimately foiled by armed groups and the countries that influence them.”

On a visit to Iran on Sunday, Brahimi also implored Tehran to wield its influence in convincing the Syrian regime to agree to the ceasefire. Iran is considered Syria’s strongest regional ally.

“The idea is that this ceasefire could open the door to something more sustained,” a Western diplomat told Reuters, who admitted that it may not be realistic. Kofi Annan, Brahimi’s predecessor, had tried to achieve the same objective but failed.

The report of a possible ceasefire came as Syrian rebel groups agreed to unite under a joint leadership to fight against President Bashar Assad. Reuters cited opposition sources saying that “the agreement has been reached; they only need to sign it now.”

The move, according to rebels, was made in order to garner greater foreign support. “They are telling us: ‘Sort yourselves out and unite; we need a clear and credible side to provide it with quality weapons,’ ” Reuters quoted them saying.

Last week, Syria rejected a UN plan for a unilateral ceasefire with the rebels, reiterating its stance that the opposition must lay down its arms first, according to al-Jazeera.

Brahimi has denied reports that a plan exists for thousands of European soldiers to be stationed in Syria to act as a peacekeeping force, Israel Radio reported on Tuesday.

The Syrian civil war has killed more than 30,000 and displaced some 300,000, according to UN estimates. More than 1 million Syrians have also been internally displaced within Syria, the UN reported in September.