Negotiations off to rocky start after opposition threatens to skip opening ceremony over disagreements on format.
Geneva, Switzerland - UN-led negotiations on the war in Syria got off to a delayed start following disputes over the participation of the Syrian opposition delegation.
Opposition representatives nearly missed the opening ceremony of the talks on Thursday after threatening not to attend over disagreements on the make-up and format of the session. But in a last-minute turnaround, they arrived late and as one large delegation.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura formally kicked off the fourth round of Syria talks in Geneva in an opening session that brought the opposition and government delegations face-to-face at UN headquarters amid low expectations.
"I ask you to work together. I know it’s not going to be easy to end this horrible conflict and lay the foundation for a country at peace with itself, sovereign and unified," de Mistura told the two delegations, who sat on opposite sides of the stage.
"It is your opportunity and solemn responsibility… not to condemn future generations of Syrian children to long years of bitter and bloody conflict."
The talks are part of the latest political initiative to bring an end to a destructive six-year war that has killed nearly half a million people, injured more than a million, and displaced over 12 million - half of the country's prewar population.
Hopes for a 'work plan'
In a news conference shortly after his opening speech, de Mistura said he would hold meetings with each side on Friday in the hopes of setting a "work plan" for the remainder of the negotiations.
At the last Syria talks in Geneva 10 months ago, de Mistura had to shuttle between the government and opposition delegations in different rooms.
The opening ceremony on Thursday was delayed by several hours following disputes between the main opposition bloc - the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) - and de Mistura over the structure of the opposition delegation.
The bloated size of the delegation was due partly to de Mistura's inclusion of two other groups - the Moscow and the Cairo platforms - in the talks. The envoy invited the two pro-Russia, government-tolerated opposition groups to sit separately from the HNC, an umbrella group of armed and political factions.
"You must have seen that there was, in particular, a very heavy [presence] on the side of the opposition in the room… they were including also the armed groups… because, as you know, peace is made between those who fight each other," said de Mistura.
The idea of the opposition sitting at different tables riled the Saudi-based HNC, leading to hours of last-minute diplomacy ahead of the opening ceremony as diplomats scrambled to find a solution.
"Today, the real opposition that represents the Syrian people is the HNC. This delegation and the HNC, extends its hand to any national partner that adopts the will of the Syrian people," Naser al-Hariri, head of the HNC delegation, told reporters ahead of the opening session.
"We hope that the Moscow and Cairo platforms will prioritise national interest and the interests of the Syrian people," said Hariri.
"The HNC was in contact with the Cairo and Moscow platforms in previous meetings. There are ongoing efforts to join these platforms within the opposition delegation so that we are represented as one delegation."
De Mistura said there had been "serious progress" made in the hours leading up to the opening ceremony in "forming a united political opposition," but that there was still much work to be done.
Truce violations
The talks in Geneva materialised after Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, a backer of the Syrian opposition, managed to forge a fragile nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30.
The Syrian government and the opposition agreed to participate in negotiations despite daily violations of the truce.
Much has changed on the ground in Syria since de Mistura suspended the last round of talks in Geneva last April after a previous ceasefire collapsed and heavy fighting resumed.
Russia’s September 2015 military intervention drastically changed the balance of power, propping up Assad’s embattled forces and assisting them in retaking key areas across the country.
With the help of Russian jets in the air and Iranian-backed fighters on the ground, Syrian government forces dealt the rebels their biggest defeat in the conflict in December by retaking the entirety of Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital before the war and a rebel stronghold since 2012.
The Russian-backed push on the ground has been coupled with a similar takeover by Moscow in the diplomatic arena - a move aided by confusion surrounding newly elected US President Donald Trump’s goals in Syria
While the Geneva talks are seen as the most serious diplomatic effort in months, disputes over the agenda and long-standing disagreements between the opposition and the government on the future of Syria have cast doubts on whether any progress will be achieved.
A day before the talks began, de Mistura said he was not expecting any major breakthroughs, but added he was determined to maintain "proactive momentum" on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, a document that provides the backbone of the talks.
"254 lays out a clear agenda, including specific language on governance, constitutions, elections, and even for the way negotiations should be timed," said de Mistura. "That is what must now be discussed."
Though matters on the ground have shifted, the starkly different political objectives of the warring sides remain unchanged from previous rounds of negotiations.
For the Syrian opposition, a political transition that ensures the removal of Assad remains the only option for peace in Syria - an issue that the government in Damascus has consistently refused to consider.
De Mistura said the biggest challenge ahead of the delegates was a "lack of trust" as he appealed to the two sides to use the talks as an opportunity for peace.
"We do know what will happen if we fail once again - more deaths, more suffering, more terrorism, more refugees," he said.
Geneva, Switzerland - UN-led negotiations on the war in Syria got off to a delayed start following disputes over the participation of the Syrian opposition delegation.
Opposition representatives nearly missed the opening ceremony of the talks on Thursday after threatening not to attend over disagreements on the make-up and format of the session. But in a last-minute turnaround, they arrived late and as one large delegation.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura formally kicked off the fourth round of Syria talks in Geneva in an opening session that brought the opposition and government delegations face-to-face at UN headquarters amid low expectations.
"I ask you to work together. I know it’s not going to be easy to end this horrible conflict and lay the foundation for a country at peace with itself, sovereign and unified," de Mistura told the two delegations, who sat on opposite sides of the stage.
"It is your opportunity and solemn responsibility… not to condemn future generations of Syrian children to long years of bitter and bloody conflict."
The talks are part of the latest political initiative to bring an end to a destructive six-year war that has killed nearly half a million people, injured more than a million, and displaced over 12 million - half of the country's prewar population.
Hopes for a 'work plan'
In a news conference shortly after his opening speech, de Mistura said he would hold meetings with each side on Friday in the hopes of setting a "work plan" for the remainder of the negotiations.
At the last Syria talks in Geneva 10 months ago, de Mistura had to shuttle between the government and opposition delegations in different rooms.
The opening ceremony on Thursday was delayed by several hours following disputes between the main opposition bloc - the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) - and de Mistura over the structure of the opposition delegation.
The bloated size of the delegation was due partly to de Mistura's inclusion of two other groups - the Moscow and the Cairo platforms - in the talks. The envoy invited the two pro-Russia, government-tolerated opposition groups to sit separately from the HNC, an umbrella group of armed and political factions.
"You must have seen that there was, in particular, a very heavy [presence] on the side of the opposition in the room… they were including also the armed groups… because, as you know, peace is made between those who fight each other," said de Mistura.
The idea of the opposition sitting at different tables riled the Saudi-based HNC, leading to hours of last-minute diplomacy ahead of the opening ceremony as diplomats scrambled to find a solution.
"Today, the real opposition that represents the Syrian people is the HNC. This delegation and the HNC, extends its hand to any national partner that adopts the will of the Syrian people," Naser al-Hariri, head of the HNC delegation, told reporters ahead of the opening session.
"We hope that the Moscow and Cairo platforms will prioritise national interest and the interests of the Syrian people," said Hariri.
"The HNC was in contact with the Cairo and Moscow platforms in previous meetings. There are ongoing efforts to join these platforms within the opposition delegation so that we are represented as one delegation."
De Mistura said there had been "serious progress" made in the hours leading up to the opening ceremony in "forming a united political opposition," but that there was still much work to be done.
Truce violations
The talks in Geneva materialised after Russia, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey, a backer of the Syrian opposition, managed to forge a fragile nationwide ceasefire in place since December 30.
The Syrian government and the opposition agreed to participate in negotiations despite daily violations of the truce.
Much has changed on the ground in Syria since de Mistura suspended the last round of talks in Geneva last April after a previous ceasefire collapsed and heavy fighting resumed.
Russia’s September 2015 military intervention drastically changed the balance of power, propping up Assad’s embattled forces and assisting them in retaking key areas across the country.
With the help of Russian jets in the air and Iranian-backed fighters on the ground, Syrian government forces dealt the rebels their biggest defeat in the conflict in December by retaking the entirety of Aleppo, Syria’s commercial capital before the war and a rebel stronghold since 2012.
The Russian-backed push on the ground has been coupled with a similar takeover by Moscow in the diplomatic arena - a move aided by confusion surrounding newly elected US President Donald Trump’s goals in Syria
While the Geneva talks are seen as the most serious diplomatic effort in months, disputes over the agenda and long-standing disagreements between the opposition and the government on the future of Syria have cast doubts on whether any progress will be achieved.
A day before the talks began, de Mistura said he was not expecting any major breakthroughs, but added he was determined to maintain "proactive momentum" on UN Security Council Resolution 2254, a document that provides the backbone of the talks.
"254 lays out a clear agenda, including specific language on governance, constitutions, elections, and even for the way negotiations should be timed," said de Mistura. "That is what must now be discussed."
Though matters on the ground have shifted, the starkly different political objectives of the warring sides remain unchanged from previous rounds of negotiations.
For the Syrian opposition, a political transition that ensures the removal of Assad remains the only option for peace in Syria - an issue that the government in Damascus has consistently refused to consider.
De Mistura said the biggest challenge ahead of the delegates was a "lack of trust" as he appealed to the two sides to use the talks as an opportunity for peace.
"We do know what will happen if we fail once again - more deaths, more suffering, more terrorism, more refugees," he said.
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