Syria peace talks bringing together Bashar al-Assad's government and the rebels fighting to overthrow him are being delayed by a day or two but will still take place in Geneva, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said, amid continuing wrangling over the arrangements.
[1]
UN-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the five-year war had been scheduled to begin next Monday, but were being held up by disagreements over representation and the agenda. Diplomats said they were still likely to happen next week and before a deadline of 30 January laid down by the UN.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria[2], has yet to issue invitations. France, a key supporter of the Syrian opposition, called for patience. "For us, what counts is that these negotiations happen," an official in Paris said. "They are vital for the resolution of this crisis. We're going to work on them being credible and creating the conditions for success. We don't want a process that breaks up after a few days."
The talks are part of the Vienna process[4], launched in October in the wake of Russia's military intervention on the side of Assad and amid a growing sense that international efforts to end the conflict were going nowhere, with hundreds of thousands of Syrians dead and millions made homeless.
The novelty of the two sessions in the Austrian capital was that Iran and Saudi Arabia, Assad's staunchest regional backers and opponents respectively, were both at the table for the first time. The downside was that neither of the Syrian parties were represented. Recent tensions between Riyadh and Tehran have further complicated matters[5].
The US and Russia, working more closely together since last autumn, insist they want to proceed without delay. British officials said on Thursday that there was still no agreement but they hoped the Geneva session would go ahead early next week.
Mistura, the third UN envoy to Syria since the war began in March 2011, has skirted around the question of Assad's future. Syrian opposition groups insist he must step down, but there are divisions over how long Assad might be able to stay on in a transitional government that was called for by the 2012 Geneva conference. A follow-up conference in early 2014 failed to make any progress.
Unresolved issues include participation, the nature of the discussions and confidence-building measures, diplomats said. Russia is seeking to introduce members of the Council for Democratic Syria into the opposition delegation, but anti-Assad groups meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday dismissed them as regime loyalists and insisted their presence was unacceptable. The role of Kurdish groups is also in dispute. "That is the main stumbling block," one opposition adviser said.
Nor has it been agreed whether the Geneva discussions will be simply a dialogue or fully fledged and structured talks. The opposition wants to discuss "transition", which means Assad's departure. The Damascus government is focusing on "unity".
Opposition forces are demanding humanitarian access to besieged areas, such as Madaya where people are reported to have died[7] from starvation, the release of women and children held by the government, and an end to barrel bomb attacks. The government wants an end to attacks by the Jaysh al-Islam rebel group on Damascus.
The Syrian government team at the talks is to be led by Bashar Jaafari, the country's ambassador to the UN, and Faisal Mekdad, the deputy foreign minister. The opposition team, representing political and armed groups, is headed by Assad al Zubi.
Riyad Hijab, the former Syrian president coordinating the preparations, said: "Dates are not sacred. We will not go to any negotiations while our people suffer from shelling, starvation and siege. Debased political bartering at the expense of the Syrian people is tantamount to callous extortion, which we will not accept under any circumstances."
Kerry is due to meet Hijab and Syrian opposition and Saudi officials in Riyadh at the weekend.
References
- ^ Syria (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ UN envoy for Syria (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ Talks between opposing Syrian groups 'could begin this month' (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ part of the Vienna process (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ have further complicated matters
(www.theguardian.com) - ^ Russian airstrikes in Syria have 'killed more than 1,000 civilians' (www.theguardian.com)
- ^ reported to have died (www.theguardian.com)
