Syria peace talks derailed as opposition stays away

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

AMMAN/BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - The Syrian opposition said it will not attend peace talks due to begin in Geneva on Friday, derailing the first attempt in two years to hold negotiations aimed at ending the five-year-long war.

An opposition council convening in Riyadh said its delegation would "certainly" not be in Geneva on Friday, saying it had not received convincing answers to its demands for goodwill steps including an end to air strikes and blockades.

The failure to get talks off the ground on time reflects the challenges facing peace-making as the conflict rages unabated on the ground.

The Syrian government is clawing back territory from rebels with military help from Iran and Russia. It has said it is ready to attend the negotiations, which U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura plans to hold in an indirect format.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-talks-risk-further-delay-opposition-appeals-u-125322091.html

[Cayenne]

1. What was the point?

The American position is that Assad must surrender his country to the salafist 'Army of Islam' straight away. How is that reasonable?

[leveymg]

2. "An opposition council convening in Riyadh"

Gee, that is surprising, considering their position.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

3. If the Kurds aren't involved, then the shady 'opposition' has no mandate either.

Fuck 'em, along with their ISIS buddies.