UN talks on Syria end with list of 12 principles for next time

Some opposition negotiators say the talks were "more positive" but pro-Russian delegate disappointed.

Caption:Bashar al-Ja’afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of the Syria to the UN New York, leaves the UN headquarters in Geneva after a round of talks with UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Friday, March 3, 2017. Salvatore Di Nolfi /Keystone via APShow less

GENEVA // No breakthrough was promised and none came. But as the first United Nations-led talks on Syria in almost a year drew to a close on Friday in Geneva, neither side had walked out and both felt able to claim small victories.

The UN mediator, Staffan de Mistura handed all the delegations a paper with 12 principles that would be the basis for a second round of negotiations in the coming weeks, and the main Syrian opposition provisionally accepted them., s

The talks had been “more positive” than previous rounds, said Nasr Al Hariri, chief negotiator of the main opposition group, the High Negotiating committee (HNC).

“We are closing this round without (a) clear result ... but I can say this time was more positive,” he said. “It was first time we discussed in an acceptable depth the issues of the future of Syria and political transition. ”

But a pro-Russia Syrian opposition representative said the talks had fallen below expectations. “There is no doubt that the results achieved so far fall below our ambitions, ” Hamzi Monzer said. But there had been one breakthrough, he added — an “icebreaker” meeting late on Thursday with the largest opposition delegation at the talks.

Otherwise, in eight days of talks, — the fourth round to be mediated by Mr de Mistura — the warring sides did not negotiate face-to-face, but haggled over the agenda with Mr de Mistura. He wanted to discuss a new constitution, elections and reformed governance — and particularly the future of president Bashar Al Assad — while Bashar Al Ja’afai, the negotiator for the Syrian government, wanted “counter-terrorism” to be included on the agenda.

“There is movement from both sides. The difficulty is that the opposition wants to be sure how the question of terrorism will be dealt with and in what order,” one diplomat said. “They need language that ensures the process is not hijacked by the government to distract from political transition. De Mistura has to ensure that both sides don’t feel trapped.”

The main opposition delegation, the HNC, has the backing of Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the West. It includes the leaders of opposition factions on the ground as well as political figures living in exile.

but other opposition groups, known as the Cairo and Moscow platforms, have been pushing for a single opposition delegation that gives them equal weight, but critics say they have no presence on the ground.

Mr de Mistura dedicated more than a week to talks with all three groups and the Syrian government in a bid to get them to commit to negotiations for a political solution to the Syrian conflict. But the scope of these negotiations was at least narrower than a year ago when he was also coping with demands for a ceasefire and a prisoner release.

Past peace efforts often failed because of pressure from events on the battlefield and the intransigence of the Syrian regime’s representative, Mr Ja’afari. But this time, the talks occurred with a two-month ceasefire — albeit a shaky one — in place, and military matters covered in separate negotiations sponsored by Russia in Kazakhstan. The Geneva talks could resume on March 20.

Meanwhile, back in Syria, Syrian army units were clearing landmines and explosives left behind by ISIL militants in the historic town of Palmyra on Friday, a day after government troops and allied militiamen recaptured it from the extremists. The process was likely to be long and difficult due to the large number of mines.

* Reuters

* Agence France Presse