The warring sides of the Syrian conflict finally met in Geneva after the United Nations peace envoy helped avert a collapse of the much-awaited talks. The meeting started amidst an unclear environment persisting over whether the delegations of President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels were really in the business for a settlement of the long-running conflict, or not.
The latest reports from Geneva indicated that two sides could abandon their stubbornness to some extent as they agreed to sit in the same room and began the dialogue. Earlier, they refused to meet at the same place and preferred to talk through mediators as the rebels were more hostile in their approach towards holding direct talks with those, on the side the Assad regime. The rebels wanted a commitment from the powers who are brokering the peace talks that president Assad would agree to a transitional government in Syria and would, first, step down to facilitate the process of reconciliation.
Not surprisingly, the regime considered such an attitude unacceptable and a deadlock persisted over the start of the crucial talks. Fortunately, this situation could finally be avoided, thanks to the efforts of UN peace envoy, Lakdhar Brahmi, who made painstaking efforts for convincing both sides for adopting a conciliatory approach in their wider interests.
The Syrian civil war is now in its third year with so sign of any resolution of the conflict. It has already taken more than one hundred thousand lives and rendered 1, 5 million people refugees. The rebels fighting the regime of president Assad are hell-bent on the their demand that he quit power. But the Damascus regime is equally adamant not to comply with such a demand. Instead, it wants the rebels to surrender, which is something too much for asking them by the regime.
Against the backdrop of such diametrically opposite positions adopted by the two sides, the "Geneva-1" talks took place earlier with no major progress achieved through it. Now the "Geneva-2" talks are taking place amidst the pressing need for a breakthrough in the conflict which is becoming increasing bloody and causing all round destruction.
Major world powers, taking their respective sides with the warring parties in Syria, are involved in the peace talks with the United States supporting the rebels and Russia, the most ardent backer of the regime, spearheading the mediation in the talks. The United Nations is the catalyst in the effort, but an invitation from its Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to Iran for taking part in the discussions was later withdrawn by the Secretary General himself as the US and some of its other allies, opposed it. Russia regretted the decision of Mr. Moon.
Earlier, Russia and the US reached a landmark accord on the elimination of the chemical weapons of Syria a few months ago when an American military assault on Syria looked inevitable. Washington felt that the Assad regime must be "punished" for the alleged use of chemical weapons in the conflict -- an allegation the regime denied.
Notwithstanding huge differences on the reasons of the civil war, US and Russia, two main foreign powers involved in the peace talks, are sparing no efforts to arrange the discussions between the regime and the rebels to settle the crisis. The task is undoubtedly a Herculean one, but not impossible.
Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal Moqtad said that the rebels were obstructing the talks while an opposition leader, Nazir ul-Hakim, said that the talks must include such issues like the formation of a transitional government in Syria.
It seems that two sides are locked in difficult situations. But then the peace dialogue, organised after long and tortuous endeavours, must not be allowed to go in vain, felt a spokesman of the UN.
As the dialogue was continuing under difficult conditions after a fraught day that delayed its beginning, progress in the parleys remains yet unclear. But it is important that progress is made in the greater interest of the Syrian people and also for international peace and stability.
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