Syria peace talks halted as the fighting continues

In declaring the “pause”, de Mistura said on Wednesday: “I have frankly concluded that after the first week of preparatory talks there is still more work to be done, not only by us but also by the stakeholders”, which all form the International Syria Support Group.

The United Nations’ special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura said they will resume on February 25, a month after the original start date of January 25, which itself was delayed.

“I have indicated from the very first day that I will not talk for the sake of talking”.

The assault on Aleppo and several other fronts has provoked fury amongst opposition delegates attending peace talks in Geneva, who accused Moscow and Damascus of using force to wring concessions from them at the negotiating table.

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said the talks were pointless while President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and Russian Federation continued their attacks in the country.

De Mistura has described this attempt to negotiate an end to a war that has killed 250,000 people, driven millions from their homes and empowered Islamic State, as Syria’s last hope.

“Less than 3 km separate the regime from cutting all routes to opposition-held Aleppo”, said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday he saw no reason for the air strikes to stop, while slamming “capricious” elements in the HNC and the smuggling of arms into Syria from Turkey.

“It is hard in the extreme to see how strikes against civilian targets contribute in any way to the peace process now being explored”, said State Department spokesman John Kirby.

Already Mr de Mistura is warning they won’t be meaningful if they do not carry immediate tangible benefits for the Syrian people in the form of improved humanitarian access.

Syrian government forces cut rebel supply lines to Aleppo under cover of Russian air power yesterday in what could prove a pivotal moment in the five-year war.

Al Manar TV said pro-goovernment militias from the besieged towns were able to link up with advancing Syrian army troops after the town of Maarsteh al Khan fell to them.

The High Negotiations Committee “came (to Geneva) because of these assurances”.

The London gathering saw some $10 billion (8.92 billion euros) raised mere hours after UN-brokered peace talks broke down in Geneva after the umbrella group for the opposition said it would not talk with the Assad regime until it stopped the bombardment.

Aleppo, Syria s pre-war commercial capital, has been divided between loyalists in the west and rebels in the east since fighting erupted in the northern city in mid-2012.

Staffan de Mistura said.

France’s Fabius in a statement condemned “the brutal offensive by the Syrian regime, with the support of Russian Federation, to encircle and asphyxiate Aleppo”.

The 2254 United Nations resolution constitutes a road map for peace in Syria that sets timetables for negotiations and outlines a nationwide cease-fire to begin as soon as initial steps toward a political transition are made.

At least 21 people, including three children, were killed Thursday in airstrikes believed to have been mounted by Russian jets on rebel-held districts in Aleppo city, the Observatory said.

“It is important to intensify the political discussions about Syria”, the German minister said.