UN-backed Syria peace talks to restart in Geneva

TIL Desk/World/Geneva-Syrian rivals were to resume UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva today, with escalating violence and deadlock on key issues dimming hopes of a breakthrough. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura tried to strike an optimistic note when the previous round ended last month. He insisted government and rebel negotiators had agreed on a “clear agenda” and that “everything is ready” for the talks to move forward.

On the agenda for this round are issues of governance — a political transition, the constitution and elections, as well as counter-terrorism at the request of Damascus. But an already-fragile ceasefire has deteriorated further in recent days after rebels and allied jihadists launched two surprise offensives on government positions in Damascus and central Hama province.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s air force has responded with raids on rebel targets, further threatening negotiations which have yielded little in four previous rounds. The UN talks aim to find a solution to end a six-year conflict that has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with protests against Assad’s regime.