Geneva talks runs into a stone wall as the opposition sticks to its radical demands

Tabnak – As the new round of US-mediated negotiations has been underway recently, the opposition’s reluctance to put aside their radical positions has once again overshadowed the success of the diplomatic process.

According to a Reuters report, Syria’s government delegation quit UN-led peace talks in Geneva on Friday and said it would not return next week unless the opposition withdrew a statement demanding President Bashar al-Assad play no role in any interim post-war government.

In this vein, Syria's ambassador to the United Nations and head of the Syrian delegation Geneva strongly condemned the foreign-sponsored armed opposition over a communiqué, which demands the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad.

“As long as the other side sticks to the language of Riyadh-2, there will be no progress. The language used in the statement contravenes the UN Security Council resolution 2254,” Bashar al-Ja'afari told reporters on Friday following talks with United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.

He stated that the Damascus government’s delegates have already submitted a list of basic principles for the sake of a political solution to the lingering Syrian conflict, which primarily focuses on the formation of a common ground and national trust.

The opposition’s insistence on Assad’s removal comes while Yahya Aridi, spokesman for the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC), told reporters before Friday’s meeting that the Syrian opposition delegation has no preconditions for reaching a political solution. Aridi claimed the Syrian government is "behaving irresponsibly" towards finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.

However, Nasr al-Hariri, the head of the so-called High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said in Geneva that Assad’s departure should be set before the start of any transition process. That condition seems no longer tenable due to Syria’s continued victories against the militants in the recent past.

On Tuesday, the US and UK officials expressed support for the Syrian opposition in the course of Geneva talks. Russia, Turkey and Iran, on the other hand, have mediated a parallel peace process between Syria’s warring parties in Astana, Kazakhstan, since January.

Russia plans to hold an all-Syrian congress, known as the Syrian National Dialog Congress, in the Russian resort city of Sochi, which would involve drawing up a framework for Syria’s future structure, adopting a new constitution and holding elections under the UN supervision.

The eight rounds of Syrian peace negotiations in Geneva have failed to achieve a tangible result over the past five years, mainly due to the opposition’s insistence that Assad must cede power.

De Mistura said on Thursday the fresh round of talks would run until Dec. 15, but the government delegation might return to Damascus to “refresh and consult” before a resumption probably on Tuesday. However, after his recent remarks and pressed whether the government delegation would return to Geneva next week, Ja‘afari replied: “Damascus will decide.”