Peace negotiations resume
GENEVA: UN-brokered Syrian peace talks resumed in Geneva yesterday, but hopes of a breakthrough were dim, clouded by persistent violence and deadlock over the country’s political future.
On the eve of the talks, 10 months after the last round of negotiations in the Swiss city, Russia called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop his bombing campaign during the discussions.
But just hours after rival delegations arrived, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura admitted there was limited ground for progress on making peace.
“Am I expecting a breakthrough? No, I am not expecting a breakthrough,” the veteran diplomat said, noting that “momentum” towards further talks was likely the best that can be hoped for.
The government delegation is headed by Syria’s UN ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari and the main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) is led by cardiologist Nasr al-Hariri and lawyer Mohammad Sabra.
On the eve of the talks an HNC spokesman said the umbrella group wanted face-to-face discussions with government representatives.
“We ask for direct negotiations ... It would save time and be proof of seriousness instead of negotiating in [separate] rooms,” Salem alMeslet said.
During t hree previous rounds of talks in Geneva last year, the two sides never sat down at the same table, instead leaving Mr de Mistura to shuttle between them.
This time, Mr de Mistura has voiced hope that he will manage to bring the two sides together for direct talks.
But when he was asked about the prospect during a news conference in Geneva on Wednesday, the UN envoy was cautious, saying he wanted to talk with the two sides bilaterally first.
The ground — both in territory and diplomatically — has shifted since the last UN-sponsored talks broke up in April 2016 and the rebels are in a significantly weaker position.
The army has recaptured the rebel bastion of eastern Aleppo and the United States, once staunchly opposed to Mr Assad, has said it is reassessing every aspect of its Syria policy under President Donald Trump. But the toughest issues remain similar to a year ago.
The latest truce was brokered in late December by opposition supporter Turkey and regime-backer Russia ahead of separate negotiations that also involved Iran in Kazakhstan.
The deal has reduced violence but fighting flared again this week including a government bombing campaign on rebel territory around Damascus.The HNC charged that Mr Assad was trying to send “a bloody message” before the talks resume.
A bitter dispute over Mr Assad’s fate also continues to divide the camps. The HNC has insisted he must leave office as part of any deal, while Damascus has said the president’s future is not open for negotiation.
Mr de Mistura’s office earlier said that the talks remain focused on “political transition”. For the UN, that term can include a broad range of scenarios but the opposition sees it as implying Mr Assad’s removal.
Forcing the Syrian president from power had been the stated goal of Barack Obama’s administration but Mr Trump’s election has muddied the US stance. Mr Trump has said that defeating the Islamic State group is Washington’s top priority in the region and that the US would be narrowly focused on US interests. The UN envoy acknowledged that the change of leadership in Washington had injected new uncertainties into the peace process.