The main opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee, belatedly sent a delegation to Geneva from its base in Saudi Arabia but declared that it would engage in talks with the government only if Damascus first took several steps, including a halt to bombing and besieging rebel-held zones.
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In the latest violence, three bombings claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 60 people in the capital Damascus.
It has evolved into a complex, multi-front war, involving rebels, jihadists, regime and allied forces, Kurds and air strikes by both government ally Russian Federation and a US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
Kerry also said that he had received reports that 16 more people had starved to death Madaya over the weekend.
The talks began in Switzerland on January 29 although the main umbrella opposition group, the Higher Negotiations Committee (HNC), only showed up on Saturday night when it outlined a host of conditions before it would agree to join the so-called proximity talks.
Iraqi and Iranian Shi’ite militia groups that have volunteered to fight Sunni Islamist radicals in Syria in a conflict that has heavy sectarian overtones often say they are coming to Syria to defend the shrine. But in Geneva, opposition delegates were compiling a list of 3,800 prisoners for possible discussions about an exchange and proposing to their rebel allies that they unilaterally lift a siege on two government-held towns.
Another major force, the Kurds who control much of northeast Syria and have proven one of the few groups capable of winning territory from Islamic State, were excluded from the talks after Turkey demanded they be kept away.
However, a negotiator from Jaish al-Islam, Mohamed Alloush, told Reuters he was going to Geneva to show that the Syrian government was not serious about seeking a political solution.
The number of Syrian refugees stranded on Jordan’s border and waiting for permission to enter has risen to 20,000, with 4,000 to 5,000 more arriving in the remote desert area every month, the head of the United Nations refugee agency in the kingdom said Sunday.
He said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave assurances by phone to the HNC’s leadership, saying Washington supported a U.N.-backed political transition period without Assad, a bone of contention among warring parties. “In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity that amnesties are not permissible”, he said.
The Syrian peace talks, which got off to a start of sorts this weekend, are meant to be a uniquely Syrian affair.
The process envisions elections within 18 months but leaves unresolved the future of Assad, whose regime has been making gains on the ground since Russian Federation began supporting him with airstrikes in September.
Jaafari said that he “will not accept any preconditions” and that there is still no agreement on the composition of the opposition delegation.
Asked if the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham group is part of the team, he said “they did not withdraw (from the HNC) but they are not with us” in Geneva.
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The participation of the PYD has been a divisive issue in advance of the Geneva talks.
