Syrian negotiators arrive in Geneva for UN-led peace talksFebruary 23, 2017 - 16:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian negotiators arrived separately to meet UN mediator Staffan de Mistura in Geneva on Thursday, February 23 in a low-key start to the first UN-led peace talks in almost a year, Reuters reports. Government negotiator Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syria's ambassador to the UN in New York, and lead opposition negotiator Nasr al-Hariri arrived separately at the UN office in Geneva, resuming negotiations that have been on hold since April 2016. The scope of the talks has been cut down to core political questions since last year, after a new initiative by Russia, Turkey and Iran took thorny military issues off the Geneva agenda and transferred them to a separate process in the Kazakh capital Astana. Previous attempts to negotiate an end to the almost six-year-old conflict collapsed as violence escalated, especially around the city of Aleppo, which is now totally under the control of forces loyal to Syria's government. The Astana talks have ushered in a shaky ceasefire which excludes hardline jihadist groups such as Islamic State. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said warplanes carried out air strikes on rebel-held areas in Deraa and Hama provinces on Thursday and insurgents fired rockets at government targets. But the overall level of violence in western Syria was lower than in previous days. A western diplomat said the opposition was aware that eastern Ghouta, a besieged rebel area on the outskirts of Damascus, was vulnerable to a government offensive. But opposition negotiators were not going to buckle under military pressure and walk out of talks, as in previous rounds. "They know that Ghouta's in trouble," the diplomat said. De Mistura plans to discuss Syria's future governance arrangements, the process for drafting a new constitution, and a schedule for elections under UN supervision, as mandated by a UN resolution. He has declined to say whether he will try to unify opposition groups in a single delegation for direct talks with the government. Turkey-backed forces seize control of center of Syria's al-Bab: Anadolu agency He plans to welcome the delegations later on Thursday in the presence of diplomats, raising the prospect that he might bring the warring sides together in one room. "The plan is to have some kind of opening ceremony in which he welcomes the parties," the Western diplomat said. Geneva talks in April last year never brought the negotiators together. Instead, de Mistura met the delegations in rotation, seeking points of common ground. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |