Syrian Army said to have taken district near Aleppo from rebels
UN mediator expects ‘no breakthrough’ in talks scheduled to resume today in Geneva, but is ‘determined’ to reform country’s governance
BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) – The Syrian Army and its allies took a small district on the outskirts of Aleppo from rebels on Wednesday, a war monitor and a military media unit run by Damascus ally Hezbollah said.
The advance was the army’s first from its lines in Aleppo city since rebels departed their enclave there in December, and came as government and opposition delegations arrived in Geneva for peace talks sponsored by the United Nations.
“The Syrian Army and its allies control Souq al-Jibs, west of Assad suburb in southwest Aleppo,” said the Hezbollah military media unit in a message. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said the army had taken the district.
Syria’s President Bashar Assad has relied closely on allies such as Russia, Iran and Shi’ite militias, including Hezbollah, to make steady gains against rebels in western parts of the country and drive them from Aleppo in December.
Rebel forces in the area, which include both jihadist and nationalist groups, have periodically shelled parts of government-held Aleppo from positions in the western countryside nearby, since the fighting inside the city stopped.
Clashes on the western side of Aleppo and its surroundings, as the army and its allies advanced, were accompanied by heavy shelling and aerial bombardment, said the Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor.
After the rebels were driven from their Aleppo enclave in December, Russia and Turkey – important foreign backers for the opposing sides in the war – sponsored a cease-fire aimed at being a prelude to peace talks.
However, although the intensity of fighting has calmed somewhat, violence continues across the country.
In Geneva, UN mediator Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday that he expects no breakthrough at Syria peace talks starting on Thursday, but the beginning of a series of rounds of negotiations that aim to reach a political agreement.
“We are not having any excessive expectations, let’s be frank,” de Mistura told a news conference. He said he hopes to maintain momentum and that neither side would try to disrupt the talks by provoking the other. “I think it will be worthwhile. We are going to give it a serious try.”
While the Geneva talks will focus on politics, de Mistura said he expects more rounds of talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, convened by Russia, Turkey and Iran, to deal with the cease-fire and related humanitarian issues, including prisoners.
He declined to discuss the format of the Geneva talks, which he said would start with bilateral meetings on Thursday, but did not say what his objectives are for this round.
The opposition will press for prisoner releases, the lifting of government sieges, and above all for a political transition leading to the end of Assad’s rule.
The government side is expected to stick with its view that the entire armed opposition are terrorists. And with Assad militarily stronger than he has been for years, it has the option of pressing home its advantage on the ground, if it doesn’t get its way at the negotiating table.
“The opposition should understand that there are new realities on the ground in Syria and international changes – it’s not like it was in 2011,” said pro-Assad Syrian parliamentarian Sharif Shehadeh.
“The circumstances, the [battlefield] has changed, the political situation has changed, so they need to go with a mindset of participation, not exclusion.”
Anas al-Abdah, head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, said: “We are fully committed to the Geneva talks and prepared to discuss a political solution and transition. We cannot address the profound security threats... while Assad remains in power.”
Earlier in the day, de Mistura summed up his mood as “determined.” He wants to focus on reforming the governance of Syria, introducing a new constitution and holding elections under UN supervision.