Syria talks in Geneva set to resume on Tuesday

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The eighth round of peace talks in Geneva will resume on Tuesday after the regime delegation blocked direct talks with the opposition in the first week of talks.

UN Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura on Monday proposed direct talks between the sides with no preconditions. Although the unified Syrian delegation accepted his offer, the regime delegation refused this in the wake of the opposition’s rejection of any role for President Bashar al-Assad in the political transition.

Before Friday’s meeting, Yahya Aridi, spokesman for the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), told reporters that the Syrian opposition delegation has no preconditions for reaching a political solution.

Aridi said the Syrian regime is "behaving irresponsibly" towards finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.

The Syrian regime will decide if its delegation returns to Geneva next week to continue the peace talks after consulting with Damascus, Bashaar Ja’afari, head of the regime delegation, told reporters on Friday following a meeting with de Mistura.

The last round of talks began on Tuesday with meetings between de Mistura and the opposition delegation. The regime delegation delayed their participation and joined the talks a day later on Wednesday.

De Mistura on Thursday said the eighth round of peace talks in Geneva will continue through Dec. 15.

De Mistura held "separate but concurrent" meetings on Thursday with regime and opposition delegations in Geneva.

The so-called "four baskets" -- a new constitution, governance, elections, and combating terrorism -- were discussed during the talks, including the issues of detainees, abductees, and missing persons, along with the need for full humanitarian access in any besieged or hard-to-reach areas, such as Eastern Ghouta.