Syria ‘Failure’ Looms, Mediator Seeks U.S., Russian Help
Reuters reports that Lakhdar Brahimi, the Syria peace talks mediator, said that failure was “staring him in the face” and that the United States and Russia had promised renewed support to keep opposition and government delegations talking.
U.N. diplomat Brahimi “met senior diplomats from Washington and Moscow in Geneva, hoping the co-sponsors of the three-week-old negotiating process could bury their own deep differences over Syria and prevail respectively on the opposition and government to move ahead and compromise.
“‘They have kindly reaffirmed their support for what we are trying to do and promised that they will help both here and in their capitals and elsewhere to unblock the situation for us, because until now we are not making much progress in this process,’ Brahimi told a news conference.
“Asked after his two-hour meeting with U.S. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov whether the whole process had failed, he said: ‘Failure is always staring at us in the face.’”
Strikes Kill 400 in Aleppo So Far This Month
The AP reports that 400 people have died this month in air raids on Aleppo, just one area of the country under siege even as diplomats gather in Geneva.
“The U.N. said discussions would continue on Friday. Underlining the seemingly futile talks in Geneva, a Syrian opposition spokesman had earlier said there were no more plans for meetings. Louay Safi told the Associated Press that government officials ‘just want to waste our time here.’
“From the outset, the talks have been accompanied by a sharp rise in violence on the ground. The Observatory said that overall at least 4,959 people have died in Syria in the three-week period since Jan. 22, when the government and opposition delegates sat down for the first round of face-to-face meetings in Geneva. The Observatory said in a report Wednesday that the period has seen the highest death toll since the uprising against Assad started nearly three years ago.”
U.N. Security Council Urged to Act on Humanitarian Aid to Syria
The New York Times reports that the U.N.’s top official for emergency operations said that this week’s cease-fire in Homs cannot be considered “progress” and urged the Security Council “to ensure that aid reaches those who need it and aid workers can do their work without getting shot.
“‘Even wars have rules,’ said Valerie Amos, the United Nations official, after briefing members of the Security Council, as the 15-member body weighed two competing resolutions on humanitarian access to areas ravaged by the Syrian conflict, and the United Nations mediator for Syria warned that the peace talks in Geneva were close to collapse.
“In the Security Council, Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg proposed one draft, calling for punitive measures on individuals and entities that obstruct aid delivery and naming specific besieged communities in need of aid. Russia, which had just days earlier dismissed that text as ‘a nonstarter,’ proposed its own late Wednesday, lacking enforcement language and making no mention of the besieged communities.
“On Thursday, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly I. Churkin, demurred when asked about the differences. ‘We would not say we are too far apart,’ he told reporters. ‘One thing that unites us is the realization that the humanitarian situation in Syria is very grave and additional efforts need to be taken in order to improve it.’”
Lebanese Sunnis Fighting ‘Holy War’ in Syria
Al Jazeera reports from Tripoli on the “holy war” under way between Lebanese Sunnis and Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
“Many Sunnis worry that Iran, the most powerful Shia-majority country, wants to expand its influence across the so-called Crescent, in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
“Hezbollah, meanwhile, accuses people such as Abu Huraira of being ‘terrorists’ and takfiris, or Muslims who are intolerant of others’ religious views. The Shia group says it is fighting the rebels in Syria because they pose a threat to both Muslims and Christians in Lebanon. Following months of deadly battles, Syrian troops backed by Hezbollah eventually recaptured Qusair last June, cutting off major rebel supply routes from Lebanon.
“The surviving fighters fled to nearby villages. Of Abu Huraira’s friends, only two managed to return to their homes in Lebanon. The rest either died or moved on to fight in other parts of Syria. Abu Huraira left Qusair with wounds to his arm and knee, but said it was psychological exhaustion that forced him and his fellow fighters to withdraw.”
Suggested Reads from Our Editorial Team:
Guardian: Syria’s Disintegration Worries Israel
LA Times: In Syria, Bombardment of Aleppo Brings ‘A Feeling of Paralysis’
AP: Longtime Syria Activist Now Negotiates Peace
Reuters: Kerry Says Obama Has Asked for New Policy Options on Syria
Reuters: UN Fears Major Government Assault on Town of Yabroud