Syrian government, opposition due to begin talks in Geneva

PanARMENIAN.Net - The first full day of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition is due to begin in Geneva, BBC News reports.

On Thursday, Jan 23, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi shuttled between the two sides to assess their willingness to meet together.

The opening day of the conference was hosted in the Swiss city of Montreux and saw bitter exchanges between the rival delegations.

The three-year conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives, the UN says. The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbors.

On Thursday, Brahimi held behind-the-scenes negotiations between representatives of President Bashar al-Assad's government and of the National Coalition.

Brahimi's main concern for Friday may be to ensure that neither delegation stage a walkout. One small encouraging sign for Friday's talks is that both sides will be in the same room for the opening session on Friday, the BBC says.

However, they are not expected to talk to each other - after being addressed jointly by Brahimi, they will consult in separate rooms to work out initial positions.

A schedule for the duration of the rest of the talks is due to be set on Friday, but even setting the agenda may be problematic. The government is expected to insist on the importance of fighting "terrorism", while the opposition will want the removal of Assad high on the agenda.

Syrian officials have flatly rejected any suggestion of Assad stepping down and he has suggested he will run for president again in elections due this year.

A senior Russian official has told the BBC that nobody other than President Assad could run Syria at the moment.

Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said the conflict was a battle for power and not a fight for democracy. He said the toppling of the Libyan and Egyptian leaders had ended in disasters and Russia wanted stability.

The Geneva I communique, agreed at a previous summit in 2012, calls for a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers.

With no movement likely from either side on the bigger political questions, Brahimi has suggested both sides may be willing to discuss more short-term measures such as local cease-fires, prisoner exchanges and establishing safe corridors for the delivery of badly-needed aid, the BBC says.