After days of delays, the Syrian peace talks led by the United Nations kicked off Friday — though the exact parties involved remains to be seen.
Syrian state TV reported late Friday afternoon that a delegation from President Bashar al-Assad’s government was meeting with the U.N. special envoy for Syria.
A day earlier, that same envoy — Staffan de Mistura — sent a message to Syrian citizens: “Raise your voice.”
“You have seen enough conferences, two of them (have) already taken place,” de Mistura said in a video message released by the United Nations on Thursday. “This one cannot fail.”
There have been conflicting reports on whether the umbrella opposition group will attend the conference in Geneva. By Friday afternoon, there was no evidence publicly they’d arrived.
A source close to the talks said Friday that the High Negotiations Committee, which comprises Syrian political opposition groups, might come “hopefully later.”
Earlier, a source with knowledge of the talks had said the opposition committee’s representatives would not make it to Geneva by Friday.
The HNC had threatened to boycott unless the Assad regime lifts sieges and stops bombarding civilians.
The head of the committee told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that they were awaiting a response from the United Nations about those points.
“We told Mr. de Mistura that these principles are above the negotiation, that they are final (and) cannot be discussed or compromised,” said Riyad Hijab, head of the High Negotiations Committee.
Kurds invited, but as observers
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem was not expected to be in Geneva, the source close to the talks said. But on Friday, a CNN team at the U.N. building in Geneva did see de Mistura welcome the Syrian delegation led by that country’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Bashar Ja’afari.
SANA, Syria’s state news agency, reported that the delegation’s meeting with de Mistura began at 5 p.m. (11 a.m. ET) Friday.
The talks were originally set to begin in Geneva on Monday, but were delayed because of ongoing discussions about who should represent the opposition, de Mistura told reporters this week.
There are Kurds invited, but as observers — not to negotiate. The opposition committee and the government are the only ones empowered to negotiate.
‘We need to hear your voice’
The talks mark the first time in two years that the warring sides in Syria meet in an effort to find a political way out.
Past 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.
The plan calls for proximity talks, which means the parties will be in separate rooms, with de Mistura shuttling between them.
De Mistura’s video message Thursday said the talks would start “in the next few days.” Syrians on all sides, he said, should make sure their representatives know how important it is to strike a deal.
“We need to hear your voice to everyone who is coming to this conference … saying this conference must be an opportunity not to be missed,” de Mistura said.