Peace talks on Syria that were scheduled to begin in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday have been delayed because of ongoing discussions about who should represent the opposition, the U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters.
At a news conference in Geneva, he said the invitation list was nearly finalized and invitations would be sent Tuesday.
The talks, which would push for a nationwide ceasefire agreement among all factions other than ISIS and al Nusra Front, would now begin on Friday, he said.
Stakeholders had expressed “very different opinions” about who should be at the table, he said.
“Therefore we have been careful and extremely thorough in wanting to make sure that when and if we start, we start on the right foot,” de Mistura said.
His mandate was to involve “the broadest possible spectrum of the opposition” to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, he said, adding that it was important that women and representatives from civil society had strong representation in the peace talks.
Any ceasefire won’t stop ISIS
However, armed groups that the U.N. Security Council has designated terror organizations — ISIS and al Nusra Front — would not being included in the talks or be part of any ceasefire agreement, he said.
“It’s clear by all those that are attending … and also the Security Council meeting, that the suspension of fighting regarding ISIL in particular, and al-Nusra is not on the table,” he said, using the acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “But there is plenty of other suspensions of fighting that can take place.”
Talks would focus on enforcing a broad ceasefire and opening the way for increased humanitarian aid to affected populations in the country, ravaged by nearly five years of a war that the U.N. says has cost more than 300,000 lives.
The Syrian conflict started when protesters took to the streets demanding Assad’s ouster. When his regime repressed the protests, clashes escalated into a civil war, gradually becoming a bloody free-for-all as the opposition, government troops and ISIS extremists fight for dominance.
U.S., Russia urge talks
Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart had urged de Mistura to announce a date soon for the start of talks, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The call by Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov came after the two spoke by phone Monday, the ministry said.
Kerry said the gathering of top stakeholders in Geneva will provide more insight on the way forward.
“We are trying to make absolutely certain that when they start that everybody is clear about roles and what is happening, so you don’t go there and wind up with a question mark or a failure,” he said.
“You don’t want to start Day One not being able to make progress.”
Kerry said he also spoke to de Mistura and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, France and Turkey.
Their conversations were aimed at reaching a consensus on how a planned ceasefire would proceed.
“You have to get to the negotiations without preconditions and have to get to the ceasefire and lay down the road ahead for the transition discussion itself,” he said.
“It’s not in our hands,” Kerry said. “If they are not serious, war will continue.”
‘What does it mean they are winning?’
Kerry slammed reports that Syria believes it is winning due to military action in the nation by its close ally, Russia, and that as a result, Syria may not be as willing to make concessions.
“What does it mean they are winning? They control a tiny part of the country. Most is controlled by ISIL or by the Kurds or by someone else,” Kerry said.
“That is not the Russian attitude, I will tell you that.”
Kerry said it will become clear “very quickly, in a month or two or three” whether Syria, Russia and Iran are serious about negotiating.
Efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict have been hindered by strong opposition to the Assad regime, which is perceived as brutal, and by the fractured nature of the opposition, which includes ISIS as well as more moderate groups supported by the United States.
In addition to the hundreds of thousands killed, more than 4 million people have fled the country, many of them headed for Europe.
Kerry said world powers of the International Syria Support Group are tentatively scheduled to meet February 11 to address any problems that arise from the talks.