Little chance of success for the new Syrian peace talks as the opposition insists on “preconditions”

Tabnak – As the UN envoy is kicking off the new round of Syrian peace talks in Geneva, renewed insistence of the Syrian opposition on Assad’s removal as a precondition, has overshadowed the prospects for the success of diplomatic initiatives.

According to Press TV, Syria’s Saudi-backed opposition, whose representatives are in Geneva for a fresh round of UN-led peace talks, renews the call for President Bashar al-Assad’s departure, casting further doubts about the prospect of a breakthrough in the negotiations.

Nasr al-Hariri, the head of the so-called High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said in Geneva on Monday evening that Assad’s departure should be set before the start of any transition process.

“We stress that political transition which achieves the ousting of Assad at the beginning is our goal,” al-Hariri said on the eve of the eighth round of UN-brokered talks aimed at ending the six-year crisis in the Arab country. He also claimed that some within the broader opposition believe a demand for Assad’s ouster amounts to be a “precondition” for the talks.

Meanwhile, a UN spokeswoman said on Tuesday that the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has received assurances that the Syrian government delegation would attend peace talks in Geneva. This is while de Mistura had said on Monday that President Bashar Assad’s government has not yet confirmed it will take part in the talks.

As for what is going to be raised in the new round of negotiations, the UN envoy says the agenda focuses on the end goal of a 2012 road map adopted by major powers — free and fair elections under UN supervision with Syrians everywhere eligible to vote.

The road map, approved by the Security Council, calls for the creation of a transitional Syrian government with full executive powers followed by the drafting of a new constitution and elections.

It should be noted that previous rounds of negotiations over the past five years have failed to achieve a tangible result, mainly due to the opposition’s insistence that Assad should cede power. That condition seems no longer tenable due to Syria’s continued victories against the militants in the recent past.

At a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on November 20, Assad said he was “ready for dialogue with all those who want to come up with a political settlement.”

Meanwhile, Moscow plans a “Syrian Congress”, bringing together the government and some opposition groups to write a new constitution leading to elections. The main opposition rejects the idea, saying all talks must come under the United Nations.

The Syrian government declared on Sunday it would support the formation of a committee that will discuss the constitution and is expected to be set up at the congress. It also said it would support UN participation in legislative elections to be held after that discussion.