Syria’s chief negotiator said on Saturday that the “only thing” achieved at 10-day talks in Geneva was an agreed agenda and that the government wanted a unified opposition delegation as its negotiating partner. In his first remarks since talks ended on Friday, Syria’s ambassador to the U. N. Bashar al-Ja’afari said the agenda agreed through … Read more
More than a week of UN-sponsored peace talks ended in Geneva on Friday, the main opposition group said, calling the results “more positive” than previous rounds. “We are closing this round without (a) clear result… but I can say this time was more positive,” Nasr al-Hariri, delegation chief for the High Negotiating Committee (HNC), told … Read more
UN-sponsored Syria peace talks limped towards a close on Friday after more than a week in Geneva with little sign of progress beyond possible agreement on an agenda for more substantial negotiations. That may seem a low bar by which to judge diplomatic achievement — but for the United Nations’ envoy Staffan de Mistura, simply … Read more
Syria on Thursday accused the opposition High Negotiations Committee of taking UN-backed peace talks “hostage” over its refusal to include terrorism on the agenda, saying the HNC would be responsible if negotiations fail. “Progress in the Geneva round must not be held hostage by the Riyadh platform,” lead Syrian negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari told reporters, referring … Read more
Syria’s main opposition group will not allow terrorism to be added to the agenda of sputtering UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, its delegation head said Wednesday. “We will not deal with it, and if (UN mediator Staffan de Mistura) adds it in any time we will not deal with it or discuss it,” Yehya Kodmani … Read more
The head of Al-Qaeda’s former Syrian branch said weekend suicide attacks in third city Homs were a message for opposition figures engaged in peace talks in Geneva to “step aside”. In a rare video address released late Monday, the head of Fateh al-Sham Front reiterated his group’s responsibility for the bombings, which killed dozens of … Read more
Syria’s opposition on Monday urged Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, to put pressure on Damascus to help kickstart sputtering peace talks in Geneva. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main opposition group at the UN-sponsored talks, said it expects to meet a Russian delegation Tuesday in the Swiss city. “We sincerely hope … Read more
A ban on mobile phones, recording devices and “offensive language”: the ground rules handed out at Syrian talks reflect the high tension in the corridors of Geneva, where peace is a long way from anyone’s lips. UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura issued the orders to Syrian government and opposition negotiators gathered for talks which … Read more
A senior opposition negotiator at Syria peace talks in Geneva said on Monday his delegation would meet Russian foreign ministry officials later in the day to discuss promises that Moscow had not kept. “The (opposition) High Negotiations Committee will be meeting today with the delegation of the foreign ministry,” negotiator Mohammed Alloush told Reuters when … Read more
The main Syrian opposition group at peace talks in Geneva accused Damascus on Sunday of “stalling”, after its chief envoy demanded all sides condemn the deadly suicide assault in Homs this weekend. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) made the charge after the Syrian regime’s chief negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari said any opposition delegates who refused to … Read more
Several more rounds of Syrian peace talks will be needed to reach any accord, the UN envoy bidding to kickstart the sputtering process has told the rival sides, setting out three key discussion areas. In a paper given to both sides, and seen by AFP Sunday, he said that by the end of the current … Read more
UN efforts to launch a new round of Syria peace talks sputtered Saturday as suicide attacks killed dozens of people, raising the death toll from two days of violence to more than 80. The blasts which targeted two security service bases in Homs, Syria’s third city, killed a top intelligence chief and close confidant of … Read more
The first full day of a fresh round of Syria peace talks began in Geneva Friday as a suicide bombing killed 42, underlining the fragile state of a ceasefire on the ground. The UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who brought regime and opposition delegates symbolically together to launch the talks late Thursday, held separate … Read more
The UN’s Syria envoy launched consultations Thursday with rival sides in the six-year conflict, but hopes of breakthrough are clouded by persistent violence and deadlock over the country’s political future. Staffan de Mistura began separate meetings with Syrian regime and opposition delegates in Geneva, notably to discuss the agenda and the format for the negotiations … Read more
UN-brokered Syrian peace talks resume in Geneva on Thursday, but hopes of a breakthrough are dim, clouded by persistent violence and deadlock over the country’s political future. On the eve of the talks, 10 months after the last round of negotiations in the Swiss city, Russia called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop his … Read more
Salem al-Meslet (L), spokesman for the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) umbrella group, speaks to journalists on the eve of resumption of peace talks on Syria, on February 22, 2017 in Geneva Syria’s main opposition group said Wednesday it wanted face-to-face discussions with government representatives, a day before the start of a new round of peace … Read more
Rival Syrian camps were due in Geneva Wednesday for UN-brokered talks to end the six-year conflict with persistent violence and deadlock over the country’s political future dampening hopes of a breakthrough. President Bashar al-Assad’s negotiators and opposition delegations were expected to arrive in the Swiss city a day before talks resume following a 10-month hiatus. … Read more
Upcoming Syria peace talks remain focused on negotiating a “political transition” in the war-ravaged country, the UN mediator’s office said Tuesday, following concern the UN was backing away from that aim. United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura had appeared reluctant in recent days to use the term “political transition” — a term the opposition has … Read more
Since the start of Syria’s war in 2011, several diplomatic initiatives have stumbled over the future of President Bashar al-Assad. Here is a recap: In January 2012, two months after an initial bid to end the violence, leading Arab diplomats adopt a fresh plan that would transfer power from Assad to a coalition cabinet. The … Read more
A seasoned diplomat, a cardiologist and a lawyer will represent Syria’s two sides at UN-brokered peace talks that begin Thursday in Geneva aimed at ending six years of brutal warfare. The diplomat, Bashar al-Jaafari, is the Syrian government’s veteran envoy at the United Nations: he will square off against opposition figures Nasr al-Hariri, a cardiologist, … Read more