Talks to End Syrian Conflict Resume in Geneva
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GoranMihajlovski/Thinkstock(GENEVA) — Delegations from the Syrian government and opposition groups returned to the bargaining table in Geneva Monday to try and find a resolution to the three-year-long civil war.
United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is brokering the talks, say that the two sides will discuss forming a transitional government and ending the bloodshed that has cost an estimated 100,000-130,000 lives since March 2011.
The last round of negotiations concluded with no agreement on the make-up of a transitional government. The opposition insists President Bashar al-Assad can’t be part of Syria’s future while Damascus maintains that he can only be removed by free and open elections.
With neither side budging, there’s little hope of a quick resolution.
The only bright spot from Monday’s summit was an agreement for the city of Homs to extend a U.N.-brokered truce that began last Friday another three days to allow the safe passage of evacuees and the delivery of relief supplies to those in the hardest hit sections.
Nonetheless, the ceasefire in Homs has been broken numerous times with at least 11 deaths reported and U.N.-led convoys coming under fire.
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