Geneva talks an opportunity not to be missed — UN Syria envoy

Eleven million others have been forced from their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other – as well as jihadist militants from so-called Islamic State (IS).

UN-mediated peace talks aimed at ending Syria’s conflict are scheduled to kick off Friday, but the absence of key opposition members threatens to derail the biggest diplomatic push yet to resolve the almost five-year-old civil war.

Syria’s main opposition body has agreed to travel to Geneva, where peace talks began on Friday, following a phone call from the U.S. Secretary of State and after receiving guarantees that their demands would be met, its spokesman said on Friday. The Syrian government made advances in two key provinces, Latakia and Daraa, this week against rebel forces.

Diplomats said Thursday that they expected the bloc to send a small group of leaders to Geneva, if only to meet with the United Nations mediator, Staffan de Mistura – and of course, to broadcast their message to the journalists assembled here.

The Syrian government has said it is ready to take part in the Geneva talks.

These included the lifting of blockades on besieged areas, a halt to attacks on civilian areas, and a release of arbitrarily detained people.

The meetings are part of a process outlined in a United Nations resolution last month that envisages an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria.

Opposition sources meeting in Riyadh for the third day said it appeared increasingly unlikely the talks would open as planned.

The United States, while expressing sympathy for the rebel demands for aid, also urged the Syrian opposition to attend the talks.

“Tomorrow will probably the start will be with those who attend but it has no value”, Monzer Makhous told Al-Hadath.

The exclusion of a powerful Kurdish faction that controls wide areas of northern Syria has triggered a boycott by some of the invitees.

Diplomacy has so far had little impact on the conflict, which has spawned a refugee crisis in neighboring states and Europe. His two predecessors – Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi – both quit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) shakes hands with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, October 20, 2015. Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally that also supports the Western-backed opposition groups, objects to the inclusion of the main Kurdish opposition group in Syria, the PYD. He was referring to al-Qaida’s branch in Syria known as the Nusra Front and using an Arabic acronym to refer to the Islamic State group.

Earlier this week the Syrian army took a strategic town in the southern province of Deraa, securing its supply routes from the capital to the south, days after retaking more territory in Latakia province.

The talks snagged even before they began, however, on a range of issues that go to the heart of the complexities in Syria.

“Terrorists with a new mask should not sit down at a negotiating table with the representatives of the Syrian authorities”, Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a news conference during a visit to Russian Federation.

“We tell them the reason to come here is not to hand the Assad regime a propaganda victory”, said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on behalf of the opposition.