Ahead of the talks, the Saudi-backed Riyadh Platform opposition group renewed demands for President Bashar al-Assad's departure as a prelude to any political settlement, which gave the government delegation a reason to accuse the opposition of placing pre-conditions to the talks, something that had previously been rejected.
The government side, as in previous rounds, wanted to prioritize the counter-terror as the first basket to be discussed during the talks.
The opposition wanted to discuss a transitional period.
The UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has also had his share of criticism during the talks.
On Thursday, the head of the government delegation, Bashar al-Jafaari, said the UN envoy was undermining his mission as a mediator, after calling on President Vladimir Putin, Syria's main international ally, to pressure Damascus into accepting elections.
[china.org.cn]
15/12/17
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Saudi Arabia & ‘their Western handlers’ behind Syria peace talks failure – Damascus envoy...
ReplyDeleteThe ultimatum that President Bashar Assad must go if there is to be peace in Syria, drawn up by the anti-Assad opposition backed by Saudi Arabia and the West, derailed the latest peace talks in Geneva, Damascus's envoy to the negotiations has said.
The eighth round of Syria peace negotiations in Geneva has ended in failure, after Damascus officials refused to engage in direct talks with the opposition, which continues to demand the removal of President Bashar Assad as a precondition for ending the six-year conflict.
"The Riyadh 2 Communique is a blackmail of the Geneva process," Syrian government negotiator Bashar Ja’afari told the media, referring to a document adopted during a Syrian opposition summit in the Saudi capital last month. As a result of the conference, attended by 140 participants and backers in the conflict, a communique was adopted insisting that the Syrian president must leave at the start of any transition period following the cessation of hostilities. The conflict has taken more than 400,000 lives.......https://on.rt.com/8uvn