Syrian raids undermine peace talks
SWITZERLAND: A United Nations peace envoy said a militant attack in Syria yesterday was a deliberate attempt to wreck peace talks in Geneva, while the warring sides traded blame and appeared no closer to actual negotiations.
Suicide bombers stormed two Syrian security offices in Homs, killing dozens with gunfire and explosions including the head of military security, prompting air strikes against the last rebel-held enclave in the western city.
‘‘Spoilers were always expected, and should continue to be expected, to try to influence the proceedings of the talks. It is in the interest of all parties who are against terrorism and are committed to a political process in Syria not to allow these attempts to succeed,’’ UN mediator Staffan de Mistura said.
De Mistura has met the two sides separately in Geneva while he tries to get agreement on how talks to end the six-year conflcit should be arranged.
He has warned not to expect any quick breakthrough and to beware of letting the violence derail any fragile progress, as happened repeatedly in the past. A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey with Iran’s support is increasingly being violated by both sides.
The jihadist rebel alliance Tahrir al-Sham, which opposes the talks, said five suicide bombers had carried out yesterday’s attack. It celebrated with the words ‘‘thanks be to God’’ but stopped short of explicitly claiming responsibility.
After a 21⁄2-hour meeting with de Mistura, the Syrian government’s lead negotiator Bashar al-Ja’afari repeatedly demanded the opposition condemn the attacks or face the consequences.
’’If anyone refuses to condemn this terrorist attack then he is an accomplice of terrorism and we will deal with them accordingly.’’
He ruled out leaving the talks, saying he would meet de Mistura again this week, but he implied that some of the opponents he had sat face-to-face with at last week’s opening ceremony were ‘‘sponsors of terrorism’’.
After Ja’afari’s comments, the opposition condemned the attack but accused the government of trying to use the events to derail the negotiations.
‘‘We condemn all terrorist acts done by all terrorist groups. If the Homs operation was done by any of those, it is clear what I say,’’ lead negotiator Nasr al-Hariri said.
‘‘They just want to remain in power. The regime is trying to block the negotiations,’’ he added, saying they would not walk away from the talks.
Colonel Fateh Hassoun, of the opposition negotiating team, pointed the finger at the government forces for the Homs attack.
‘‘What happened today is an operation the regime has implemented to retaliate through another action against civilians besieged for the past 31⁄2 years, and this is to send a message to the people, societies and the world that he is fighting terrorism,’’ he said.
De Mistura handed a working paper on procedural issues to delegations at the talks on Friday but there appears little prospect of things moving to the key political issues that he had hoped to be able to begin addressing. – Reuters