SWITZERLAND: A second round of peace talks between the Syrian government and oppositionwith both side blaming each other for the lack of progress

Record ID: 276572

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: A second round of peace talks between the Syrian government and oppositionwith both side blaming each other for the lack of progress
  • Date: 15th February 2014
  • Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (FEBRUARY 15, 2014) (REUTERS) OPPOSITION'S SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION SPOKESMAN LOUAY SAFI ARRIVING TO SPEAK WITH JOURNALISTS SAFI DURING NEWS CONFERENCE AT THE UNITED NATIONS' GARDEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) OPPOSITION'S SYRIAN NATIONAL COALITION SPOKESMAN, LOUAY SAFI, SAYING: "I am very sorry to say really there is nothing positive we can take. We have
  • Embargoed: 2nd March 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADMSGGVUSWXBKX45W43DMQY59E
  • Story Text: Syrian government and opposition delegations ended a second round of Syria peace talks in Geneva on Saturday (February 15) with no agreement on a date for a third round nor a mechanism for the agenda.
    Representatives from Syria's government and opposition met on Saturday morning jointly with international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi for the final session of this round of talks. Saturday's joint session lasted for only about half an hour.

    "I am very sorry to say really there is nothing positive we can take. We have been disappointed completely, not only by the regime, but other sponsors so far, particularly the Russians, have not prevailed over the regime, that want to stall. I hope they will do something about it, because they were part of the first meeting that led into the formation of Geneva communiqu�" opposition spokesman Louay Safi told journalists on Saturday afternoon.
    Opposition delegate Anas Al-Abdah said after the morning meeting that their delegation accepted the proposal of Brahimi for the agenda of the next round as well as the mechanism of how the negotiations will be managed, but the other side rejected it.
    For Syria's envoy to the United Nations, Bashar Al-Jaafari, who is part of the Syrian government delegation, it was the opposition's own interpretation for the agenda that caused the disagreement on both sides.

    "We accepted the draft agenda proposed by the international mediator, the disagreement started when the other side started presenting their own interpretation for the agenda, how they interpret and construe the agenda, in a way that one day it will be used for fighting terrorism, and then another day for the transitional government body as they call it, without ending the terrorism subject. So in other words, they wanted the discussion about fighting terrorism to stay open with no end, and all they care about it is to move to the second clause, move to the second clause without a common reading for the terrorism subject," Al-Jaafari told journalists.
    Al-Jaafari assured the Syrian people they will return for a third round of talks. "We will be back. We are committed to serving the interest of our own people in stopping the bloodshed, combating terrorism, and bringing about a political settlement acceptable by the Syrian people based on the Geneva communiqu�" he said.

    "We don't have an impasse, we are still in negotiations, we didn't say that we failed," continued Al-Jaafari when questioned by a journalist.
    Brahimi said in his news conference that the two sides had in fact agreed on an agenda for a third round at an unspecified date. He conceded, however, that the first two rounds of Syrian peace talks had not made much progress.
    U.N. veteran Brahimi has called on the help of the United States and Russia to push the two sides forward in the long-awaited meeting.
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