A spokeswoman for Staffan de Mistura says the talks will officially start on Wednesday but logistics and other issues mean that delegations are likely to arrive in Geneva over several days. It says it is too early to tell if the casualties are civilians or militants.
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Last week, the US and Russian Federation – the latter of which has been staging airstrikes against positions held by Assad’s opponents since last September – brokered a two-week agreement to cease hostilities between the Syrian regime and opposition forces.
It said Russian planes were continuing to carry out air strikes against IS and Al-Nusra in three provinces, including on the main IS stronghold of Raqa.
The United Nations will begin hosting “substantive” peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition no later than March 14, with preparations for the renewed peace talks beginning March 9 in Geneva, a UN spokeswoman said.
The head of the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee, Riad Hijab, on Monday refused to commit to the talks.
Both sides have accused each other of violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement – the first of its kind towards ending a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and created refugee crises in the Middle East and Europe. And though some humanitarian aid had reached rebel-held areas besieged by the regime, it wasn’t enough, he said.
The Russians and the Iranians have caused a catastrophic humanitarian situation that is killing Syrians, Hijab said.
The HNC would send a representative to Geneva in the next few days to present a precise image to a ceasefire taskforce hosted by the United Nations and chaired by the United States and Russian Federation, he said.
Speaking to hundreds of American and allied forces inside a hangar at a military base in the United Arab Emirates, Biden said Washington was committed to the fight against IS.
“There are lots of difficulties on the humanitarian assistance front”, Mr. Hijab said on a conference call with reporters.
For more than a week, opposition leaders have said they were monitoring the truce and evaluating the progress of the aid effort before deciding whether to participate in the talks again.
The obstacles remain formidable, including the future of President Bashar al-Assad.
His statements appeared to be a step back from comments by HNC spokesman Riad Naasan Agha, who said the opposition delegation would arrive on Friday to take part in talks.
He said there would be a “clear decision” before the end of the week.
Also on Monday, activists said al-Nusra fighters had broken up a protest against President Assad by opposition supporters in the city of Idlib, threatening to open fire if they did not disperse.
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He added that truce violations must be reduced to “zero” and that nothing else must happen to obstruct the start of talks.
