After 2 days, peace talks to take a break

‘ Pause’ reflects rocky start of negotiation though govt, opposition ‘ interested in political process’

The peace talks in the Syrian civil conflict are taking a break. The fighting is not.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced on Wednesday there would be a “temporary pause” in the indirect peace talks between the government and opposition, saying the process will resume on Feb 25.

In a statement later in the day, De Mistura’s office said the talks would take a “recess” by the end of Friday and would resume “no later than Feb 25, and possibly much earlier”.

The delay reflects the rocky start of the talks on Monday in which neither the government nor the opposition even acknowledged that the negotiations had officially begun.

“It is not the end, and it is not the failure of the talks,” De Mistura told reporters after a meeting with opposition leaders.

Both sides remain “interested in having the political process started”, he added.

The conflict that began in March 2011 has killed at least 250,000 people, displaced 11 million and given an opening for the Islamic State group to seize large parts of the country.

“I’m not frustrated, I’m not disappointed,” De Mistura said. “When you have a fiveyear war and had so many difficult moments you have to be determined, but also realistic.”

The last round of talks broke down in 2014.

The opposition, known as the High Negotiations Committee, had been reluctant to come to the talks, saying the government should first end the bombardment of civilians and allow aid into besieged rebel- held areas.

When you have a five year war and had so many difficult moments you have to be determined, but also realistic.” Staffan de Mistura, UN Special envoy for Syria

On Wednesday, delegation head Riad Hajib said the Syrian government had not met those demands. “The HNC delegation will leave tomorrow and will not return ( to Geneva) until we see positive steps on humanitarian issues,” he said.

The head of the Syrian delegation, Bashar Jaafari, said the opposition “had orders from its masters to ruin the talks”.

A major victory

On Wednesday, Syrian government forces blasted their way into two Shiite villages in the north, breaking a longrunning rebel siege.

The villages of Nubul and Zahra are located in the middle of opposition territory and have been blockaded by rebel groups for three years, with the army occasionally dropping food and other aid to those inside.

Reaching them marked a major victory for government forces, which have made significant advances in Aleppo in recent days. The Syrian troops severed a key supply route linking the rebels in the city.