Syria peace talks start in Geneva on January 29
Progress has been made in the Syrian conflict after the Damascus-hosted consultations with the UN special envoy. Syrian officials have agreed to participate in the political talks to be held in Geneva. Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, sees the talks as an important first step. “My job is to be always optimistic,” he said after his recent meetings with officials of President Bashar al-Assad's government. However, the talks will get under way against a backdrop of ongoing violence. Syrian forces loyal to Assad have intensified their bombing campaigns, as have Russian warplanes. At the same time, Islamic State militants have not ceased their attacks. The group claimed responsibility for two bombs Tuesday that killed 22 people in Homs, an opposition stronghold. Residents gather at the scene of a twin bomb explosion at a government-run security checkpoint in Homs, Syria, Jan 26, 2016. Once talks start in Geneva, the plan is to keep all parties in separate rooms, with no face-to-face meetings. Analysts think this is a better option than the lack of negotiations. David Butter, a Middle East politics expert at Chatham House in London, said the talks might serve as a needed sign that the world community is doing something to try to stop a seemingly endless and profoundly destabilizing conflict. “This is a realistic appraisal of international consensus that we need to have some sort of political process going on — perhaps a recognition of the parties, certainly the opposition parties, that they’re starting to get exhausted with the conflict itself, and it has been so damaging on every level, humanitarian and otherwise,” Butter said. Pressure to enter into negotiations is largely external, with the United States, the European Union, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia all pushing for a solution. The Syrian talks had been set to begin January 25 but were delayed to Friday by discussions about who should represent the opposition, Voice of America’s Armenian Service reports.
