Barring any last-minute delay, UN-brokered talks on Syria are due to get under way in Geneva – the third time the Swiss city has played host to diplomatic efforts to end the war and tackle the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But prospects for a breakthrough are probably even slimmer than on the previous two attempts.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy, cannot even be sure who will attend on Friday – and when. The Syrian opposition announced on Thursday night that its officials would not be coming until they received guarantees of an end to government airstrikes and sieges. Bashar al-Assad’s representatives are expected at the Palais des Nations, though they may not meet their enemies.
“We are serious about taking part ... but what is hindering the start of negotiations is the one who is bombing civilians and starving them,” declared Salem al-Muslet, the spokesman for opposition negotiators who were meeting in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
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