Brahimi's mission to Syria 'will fail': Rebels

BEIRUT (AFP) - The mission of international peace envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, is bound to fail, a rebel Free Syrian Army commander told AFP by telephone on Sunday.

"We are sure Brahimi will fail like the other envoys before him, but we (the rebels) do not want to be the reason of his failure," said FSA commander for the northern province of Aleppo Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, after holding a Skype conference call with the envoy and two other rebel commanders.

"We discussed the general situation in Syria, mainly focusing on the destruction wielded by the regime on the country," said Mr Okaidi, who spoke with Brahimi along with FSA spokesman in Syria, Colonel Qassem Saadeddine, and FSA chief in Damascus Colonel Khaled Hobous.

Veteran diplomat Brahimi was appointed international envoy to Syria in early September, and arrived in the strife-torn country for his first visit on Thursday.