Syrian Government Returns to Geneva

The Syrian government’s delegation to Geneva returned to United Nations-sponsored peace talks on Sunday, after skipping negotiations last week, Reuters reported.

The government’s lead negotiator Bashar al-Jaafari arrived on a flight from Beirut more than one week after he first quit negotiations because of what he said was the opposition’s insistence on removing President Bashar al-Assad before the start of a political transition.

An unidentified “Western diplomat” who spoke to Reuters said he was skeptical of the government’s willingness to engage seriously in talks.

The diplomat said that the government’s failure to return when talks resumed on December 5 had been “a clear sign of not being interested in engaging in the political process.”

The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Thursday that he will assess this week “the behavior of both sides, government and opposition, in Geneva,” to determine whether either side is trying to “sabotage” negotiations.

De Mistura had previously said that talks will run until December 15. It remains unknown whether negotiations will be extended because of the government’s delay in returning to Geneva.

UNICEF Calls for Urgent Medical Evacuation From Damascus Suburbs

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Sunday called for the medical evacuation of 137 sick children from the besieged suburbs of Damascus, saying the situation is “getting worse day by day,” Al-Jazeera reported.

UNICEF said that children aged 7 months to 17 years in the Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus do not have access to medical assistance for conditions ranging from wounds sustained from the conflict to severe malnutrition.

The children’s agency said that at least five children have died so far and at least 137 others are in need of urgent medical treatment.

“The situation is getting worse day by day,” Fran Equiza, UNICEF’s representative in Syria, was quoted as saying. “Sick children desperately need medical evacuation and many thousands more are being denied the chance of a normal, peaceful childhood.”

There are an estimated 400,000 people trapped in the rebel enclave outside the capital. The area has the highest rate of acute malnutrition recorded since the start of the conflict, with roughly 12 percent of children under 5 suffering from famine.

The U.N. and the World Health Organization (WHO) have repeatedly called for urgent medical access to the area but officials said last week that the government has not made any progress in that regard.

Syrian Government Steps up Attack on Northern Hama

The Syrian government and allied forces launched a fierce campaign against insurgent groups in Hama province over the weekend, Reuters reported.

Dozens of airstrikes believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes targeted rebel-held towns in northeastern Hama and adjacent territory in southern Idlib over a 48-hour period, Reuters said on Monday, citing rebels and witnesses.

Heavy airstrikes also targeted the Abu al-Duhur military airport, one of the largest airports in the north of the country, on Sunday, Reuters said, citing an unidentified rebel source.

The Syrian army and Iranian-backed militias also recaptured a string of villages held by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance and the Free Syrian Army, including the villages of Um Turayka, Bilil and Rujum al-Ahmar in northeastern Hama, according to the report.

HTS, the largest insurgent alliance in the country, and the FSA are reportedly sending reinforcements in an attempt to retake territory captured by pro-government forces.

A rebel commander told Reuters that the military push by pro-government forces is part of a wider attempt to besiege the only province in Syria under complete opposition control.

“The regime movements seek to besiege Idlib province with the help of Shiite militias fighting with them,” Colonel Mustafa Bakour, a commander in the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction, told Reuters.

Turkey, Iran and Russia agreed to enforce a so-called de-escalation zone in Idlib during talks in the Kazakh capital of Astana in September. Turkish troops deployed to the province in October to implement the agreement.

Ankara has so far established observation posts in areas in northern Idlib, adjacent to the Kurdish-held region of Afrin.

Recommended Reads

• The Washington Post: The Plea of a Syrian Activist: Don’t Forget Us
• The New York Times: In Syria’s Skies, Close Calls With Russian Warplanes
• NPR: Stories of Syria’s Uprising, and Its Backyard Funerals, in ‘Gardens Speak’
• The Nation: In Syria, ‘Reconciliation’ Is Bleak
• Syria Direct: Shivering Residents in Northwestern Syria Burn Secondhand Clothing for Warmth