UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Monday said that the main Syrian opposition delegation, the High Negotiation Committee or HNC, is intending to suspend their formal presence to the ongoing peace talks in the UN headquarters of the Palace des Nations, but will remain staying in Geneva for technical discussions.
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De Mistura said Monday the peace talks in Geneva would continue with or without certain opposition representatives, but many influential members are also said to be planning to leave town.
U.S. President Barack Obama told Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Monday that Syria was starting to fray more rapidly.
Earlier, two other rockets fired from Syria hit an olive grove and a building used as a storage center for hospital oxygen units, but there were no casualties.
In the wake of such attacks, the Turkish military typically fires back at targets in Syria in line with its rules of engagement.
Bashar Jaafari, head of the Syrian government team, emerged from a session with de Mistura earlier on Monday to condemn “irresponsible and provocative behaviour” by Israel.
“We announce the formation of a joint [military] operations room and the start of the battle called ‘Response to Grievances, ‘” said a statement from 10 rebel factions including the powerful Islamist groups Army of Islam and Ahrar al-Sham.
Mr Ja’afari accused the Western-backed opposition of seeking to bring about a collapse of the country and replicate the chaos seen in Iraq and Libya after Western military intervention brought down long severing authoritarian rulers.
But the envoy devoted most of his public comments to criticizing Israel for holding a Cabinet meeting on Sunday in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and later annexed. He said the global community has made headway in resolving the crisis in Syria.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura gestures during a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, April 18, 2016.
The Saudi-backed opposition in Geneva seems to be on the verge of declaring the truce over and the talks at an end.
Mr.de Mistura added that there was a small fact-finding mission in Daraya, led by Khawla Mattar, who is working on behalf of his office. But while fighting a defensive war around Aleppo, the opposition has launched an offensive of its own around Latakia.
Speaking to reporters in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied allegations that Moscow and Washington were negotiating the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad behind closed doors.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the rebels seized control of at least two areas and said the Nusra Front is taking part in the fighting.
The ceasefire agreed in February dramatically curtailed violence across much of Syria, but the fresh fighting around Aleppo has prompted tens of thousands of people to flee.
It is no secret, Mr.de Mistura said, that one side is insisting on the implementation of the Transitional Governing Body and the other side – the Government – has been indicating their interest in launching an initiative for a broad-based Government.
The UN last week resumed what it called “crucially urgent” peace talks in the Swiss city.
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“This issue [of al-Assad’s fate] is to be discussed by the Syrian sides – the opposition groups and government delegation – which I hope will manage, despite all the differences, to make advancement in the course of the current round”, Ryabkov added.
