UN: Syrian Government and Opponents to Participate in Geneva Peace Talks

A spokesperson for the United Nations stated on Tuesday that the Syrian government and the delegation of opposition groups against Bashar al-Assad's regime have confirmed their participation in the new round of peace talks this week in Geneva, Switzerland. Alessandra Vellucci, a UN spokesperson, emphasized that all parties who attended the previous round of negotiations in February 2017 have confirmed their participation in this round of talks as well. Vellucci also added that Stefan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, is currently visiting Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Turkey, which play a key role in the Syrian crisis. According to the Associated Press, the UN spokesperson further stated that in the absence of Stefan de Mistura, his deputy will begin separate negotiations with the delegations starting Thursday, March 23, to prepare for direct talks between the parties. Vellucci also mentioned that this round of negotiations will focus on issues such as constitutional matters, elections, governance, counter-terrorism, security, and confidence-building measures. According to the report, in the four rounds of negotiations that the two sides have had under Stefan de Mistura since the beginning of 2016, they have not directly negotiated face-to-face. At the end of the previous round of Geneva talks on March 4, the High Negotiations Committee, which represents the main opposition groups, stated that the recent Geneva negotiations were 'very positive' compared to the past. Nasser al-Hariri, the head of this committee, said, 'We concluded this round of negotiations without results... but I can say that this round was very positive.' The goal of the Geneva negotiations, which began in April 2016, is to end the conflict in Syria that started in March 2011 with protests against Bashar al-Assad, the president of the country. March 15 marked the seventh anniversary of the start of these conflicts. The conflict in Syria has left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. In this context, the Syrian government and the opposition have 'reached an agreement on a clear agenda.' The UN stated that the Syrian peace talks will focus on 'political transition.' The Syrian government accused the opposition delegation of obstructing the Geneva peace talks.