Syria peace talks: the main positions

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A new round of Syria peace talks set to start in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday, with elections and a new constitution for the conflict-torn country on the agenda.

This is the eighth round of UN-sponsored talks and it comes on the back of a flurry of diplomatic activity last week, even as shelling and air strikes claimed over 100 new deaths over the weekend.

While the Geneva meeting is meant to bring together Syrian government and opposition representatives with the UN acting as a mediator, several other countries have emerged as key players in the push to find a long-term political solution for Syria.

Here is an overview of their positions.

United Nations

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called Monday for a united Syrian opposition and a Damascus delegation to come prepared for negotiations in Geneva "without any, any preconditions."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) welcomes U.N. special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura during a meeting in Moscow, Russia November 24, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"This crisis – one of the worst in the history of the UN – now has the potential, real potential, to move towards a genuine political process," he said, adding that "the moment of truth has arrived."

"A clear map of de-escalation, ceasefire and de-confliction arrangement has emerged... We see the emergence of international consensus and we must begin to stitch the process into concrete results, enabling Syrians to determine their own future freely."

Syrian government

President Bashar al-Assad said he was ready for negotiations when meeting with his Russian counterpart and ally President Vladimir Putin in Sochi last week. "We are ready for dialogue with all those who want to come up with a political settlement," Assad said.

Early Tuesday however, it was still unclear whether a Syrian government delegation would travel to Geneva. Damascus has consistently rejected calls to remove Assad from power.

Syrian opposition

For Syria’s opposition, no political transition is possible if Assad remains in office.

Nasr al-Hariri, head of the Syrian High Negotiations Committee (HNC), attends a news conference before the opening of Intra Syria talks in Geneva, Switzerland November 27, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Chief negotiator Nasr al-Hariri told reporters in Geneva Monday that this should not be seen as "pre-condition". "We are here to negotiate, but our goal in the negotiation will be the departure of Bashar al-Assad from the beginning of the transition," he added.

As the Syrian government’s participation remained in doubt, he noted: "The regime is still using delaying tactics to obstruct a political solution, while the opposition and the revolutionary forces come in one delegation overstepping all obstacles."

Syria’s various opposition groups agreed at a conference in Saudi Arabia last week to present a united front in Geneva. The delegation was ready "to begin serious negotiations," Hariri said Monday, adding "our agenda (is) transition, then constitution, then free election."

Russia

While not a party to the Geneva negotiations, Moscow has backed parallel talks on a Syrian solution, together with Ankara and Tehran.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin walks with his counterparts Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Hassan Rouhani of Iran after a joint news conference in Sochi, Russia, November 22, 2017. /Handout via Reuters

After meeting with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts last Wednesday, Putin announced they had come "to a new stage which opens a possibility to initiate a real political process of settlement" and put the emphasis on "finalising these talks in the frameworks of (the) Geneva process."

"(The) Syrian people will themselves determine their future," he added.

"It is obvious that the process of reforms will not be an easy one, it will require compromises and concessions from all of its participants including of course the Syrian government," Putin also said, promising support from Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Turkey

Although working with Moscow and Tehran on a long-term solution in Syria, Ankara has remained on the side of the Syrian opposition and against Assad.

Syrian residents are seen reacting after shelling in Douma, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria November 17, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Speaking in London on Monday, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim made clear that the six-year conflict in Syria "all happened because of the regime, because of Assad," arguing that in the long-term, "Assad cannot possibly survive in Syria, we have to accept this."

Western powers

With Russia backing Assad, some Western countries have expressed concerns that a Moscow-brokered deal will favor the government over opposition groups. In a phone call on Monday, US President Donald Trump and France’s Emmanuel Macron agreed that the UN-sponsored talks were "the only legitimate forum for achieving a political solution in Syria," according to the White House.

Over the weekend, the US State Department said a political solution in Syria must include "constitutional reform and free and fair elections under UN supervision… with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate."

Over 340,000 people have been killed since fighting broke out in Syria in march 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

(With input from agencies)

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