Peace Talks Start in Geneva
U.N.-sponsored peace talks started again on Thursday in Geneva, with U.N. deputy special envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy meeting government and opposition delegations separately, Agence France-Presse reported.
“We hope we will be starting substantive discussions tomorrow,” Ramzy said.
U.N. mediator and special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura is expected to join the talks on Friday, following meetings with diplomats in Moscow, Ankara and Riyadh.
Both opposition and government delegations refuse to negotiate over the issue of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, with the opposition insisting he quits and the government delegation refusing to discuss the issue.
U.N. Warns of Humanitarian Risk for 300,000 People Outside Damascus
Some 300,000 people could face starvation in the Damascus suburbs after recent fighting cut off humanitarian access, according to the U.N. humanitarian adviser on Syria, Jan Egeland, Reuters reported.
“They are totally dependent on our supplies. Starvation will be just around the corner unless we get there in the coming weeks,” Egeland said.
The rebel-held Douma and Kafr Batna outside the capital are home to 161,000 and 142,000 people respectively, with little left in food stocks. The areas are under a tightening government siege.
A government offensive last month also cut off access to informal supply routes used to smuggle in basic necessities to the besieged areas east of Damascus. Government bombardment of rebel-held areas around the capital has increased after jihadists and allied rebels launched a surprise attack on Damascus last week.
“The increase in the fighting has disastrous effects on the civilian population,” Egeland said. “They haven’t had any supplies by the U.N. since October in Douma, and in the Kafr Batna area not since June of last year.”
No aid can get in, with the government refusing to approve convoys and armed opposition groups refusing to guarantee their security, Egeland said.
Fighting Continues in Hama as Rebels Advance
Jihadists and allied rebel groups have advanced on Syrian military positions north of Hama, Reuters reported.
Rebels and allied jihadists have taken control of at least 11 villages since they launched their offensive on Tuesday, the U.K.-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
At the helm of the offensive is the Tahrir al-Sham alliance, led by the former al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. Rebel groups fighting under the Free Syrian Army banner are also part of the offensive.
A Syrian military source told Reuters that they are bringing reinforcements to Hama.
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