Syrian peace talks stalled due to ‘opposition representation’

“He has always been delivering messages similar to those drafted by Iran and Russian Federation which call for the establishment of a “national government” and allowing [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad to stay in power and stand for re-election”, Khoja said.

“Clearly, there will be no negotiations between the opposition and the Assad regime to achieve a specific goal, but rather a Syrian forum under the auspices of the United Nations envoy will convene at the expense of the main issue”, said Burhan Ghalioun, a leading member of the opposition Syrian national coalition.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has said that peace talks on Syria will push for a nationwide ceasefire for all parties other than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusra Front armed groups.

They are the latest bid to end a conflict that has killed more than 260,000 people and displaced over half of Syria’s population since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

According to a report by Deutsche Welle, US Secretary of State John Kerry rejected statements from some figures within the opposition that Washington was “leaning” on them to attend the talks.

The talks between the Syrian government and opposition had been due to start in Geneva on Monday, but a Western diplomat said on Sunday they were unlikely to begin before Wednesday.

But that isn’t the only sticking point.

He told reporters in Geneva, that he did not want any repeat of earlier talks which excluded some factions, and said that the “broadest possible spectrum” needed to be represented.

“We want to make sure that when and if we start, to start at least on the right foot”, he said. Kerry said it would become apparent “within a month or two” whether or not the Russians and Iranians were serious about participating in the peace talks without preconditions. “This is about getting to the table and ending a war, so that human rights and peace can be restored”.

Learning from past failures and missteps, de Mistura jettisoned an initiative of four “working groups” on various aspects of Syria’s crisis led by Europeans which he launched last summer.

He told the Guardian: “For the opposition not to attend the talks would hand a propaganda coup to the regime”. Spokesman Salim al-Muslat said the opposition High Negotiation Committee (HNC) would discuss its position on Tuesday.

Even if Assad were to play ball, there are so many other players in the war that it may be impossible to get them all to agree on a single path to peace. “Having made these requests, and being rebuffed, if they still go they will lose credibility inside Syria and appear to be Western/Gulf stooges who do what their masters say at the end of the day”. “It’s likely to happen”. The important thing is that we keep the momentum, he stressed.

The U.N.’s de Mistura said the talks are expected to last for six months, so by no means will they lead to an immediate resolution.

He said a first phase of talks would last 2-3 weeks, with a focus on a ceasefire, stopping Daesh and increasing humanitarian aid.