Syrian conflict: Opposition walks out on Geneva peace talks

Part of the delegation leaves the negotiating table, accusing the Syrian government of massacres. Government air strikes hit two markets in Idlib province, 44 civilians killed. Damascus open to the formation "of a broader unity government". United States and Russia scrambling to save the truce.

 

Geneva (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The main representatives of the opposition have begun to leave Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters of the UN peace talks on Syria, judging  the continuation of "indirect talks" "unacceptable" while Damascus "bombs and starves the civilian population".

According to the London based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (Osdu), and informants in the area, at least 44 civilians died only yesterday because of Syrian government bombings, which targeted two markets in the province of Idlib, in the north-east.

The area is under the control of the al Nusra Front, a jihadist movement excluded - as was the Islamic state (IS) – from the ceasefire signed on 27 February by the regime and the rebels. A partial cease-fire signed in order to stem a conflict that, since March 2011, has caused at least 270 thousand dead and millions displaced, creating an unprecedented humanitarian emergency.

However, the ceasefire seems to be wavering and the peace talks under the auspices of the United Nations do not seem to help achieve the desired effect. In response to the attacks, the Syrian opposition gathered in the High Negotiations Committee (Hnc), the largest rebel faction and supported by the Saudis, condemned the "massacres." It is, added the rebels in a statement, a further confirmation of the fact that "suspending negotiations was the right choice."

The opposition leaders have begun to abandon the Swiss city, leaving behind only a "technical" representation as confirmed by the general Hnc coordinator Riad Hijjab who has asked the UN Security Council to "review" the terms of the truce.

In spite of the commitment of the United Nations representatives, the choice of the opposition is a blow to the hope of peace and negotiations for a political solution that includes: a new Constitution; Presidential elections; parliamentary elections, to be completed by September 2017.

The second round of negotiations started on 13 April and should have been completed on 22 April. Today the special UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is expected to meet with government representatives.

On the eve of the face to face talks Syrian government delegates said they were ready to discuss the formation of a new national unity government, while reiterating the fact that the fate of President Bashar al-Assad remains out of any discussion. Bashar al-Jaafari, head of the Damascus delegation, said that "a broader unity government is the only topic of discussion", while the future of Assad "is not within our powers."

Analysts and experts believe the current stage of negotiations now at an impasse, unable to deliver further progress. According to Karim Bitar, Iris international and strategic relations expert, "the opposition has come to the conclusion that the negotiations are merely a smokescreen that allowed the regime to consolidate its power."

Meanwhile, international diplomacy and world powers are scrambling to save the fragile truce and the peace path. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, has condemned the "capricious behavior" of the opposition, adding that "negotiations have not frozen" in spite of the departure of Hnc leaders. In a statement the leaders of US diplomacy add that the peace negotiations are not dead and recall that, thanks to the ceasefire, there has been a 70% drop in violence than in the past.

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