U.N. Envoy Calls Peace Talks a Missed Opportunity

The United Nations special envoy for Syria called peace talks in Geneva a missed opportunity after the eighth round of negotiations closed on Thursday without yielding results, the Associated Press reported.

“Despite a lot of effort by my whole team, day and night with all sorts of creative formulae, we did not have real negotiations,” Staffan de Mistura told a news conference. “It is a big missed opportunity, a golden opportunity missed at the end of this year.”

The envoy said neither the opposition nor the government had sabotaged the U.N.-sponsored negotiations, after rival delegations accused each other of obstructing talks. But he voiced disappointment with the government negotiators, blaming them for setting preconditions and refusing to discuss anything other than “terrorism.”

De Mistura said peace talks could resume next month. However, that would depend on his ability “to come up with new ideas, parameters, about how to move the talks forward, particularly on constitution and elections,” according to Reuters.

Coalition: 20 ISIS Fighters Killed in South Syria

The United States-led coalition said that allied forces killed more than 20 so-called Islamic State fighters and detained a number of militants near a U.S.-run garrison in southern Syria, Reuters reported.

On Wednesday the Pentagon-backed Syrian rebel group Maghawir al-Thawra and coalition forces detected a convoy within 34 miles (55 km) of a U.S.-operated base in al-Tanf, near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders, Reuters said, citing an unidentified U.S. official.

The allied forces carried out an operation early on Wednesday “to prevent their further incursion,” the statement said. At least 20 ISIS fighters were killed and a number of others were detained. An unidentified U.S. official who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity said that at least 15 militants were detained by U.S-backed forces.

Brig. Gen. Jonathan Braga, director of operations for the U.S.-led coalition, said that ISIS was slipping into zones of U.S. operations through areas controlled by government forces, according to Reuters.

“Despite the presence of Russian-backed, pro-Syrian regime forces in the area, Daesh still finds ways to move freely through regime lines and pose a threat,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Lebanon Reopens Syria Border Crossing

A border crossing between Lebanon and Syria that has been closed for five years reopened on Thursday, Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper reported.

The Al-Qaa/Jussiyeh crossing, which connects Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to the Syrian city of Homs, was closed in 2012 after fighting intensified between supporters of President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking his removal.

According to Agence France-Presse, it is the only one of five crossings between Lebanon and Syria that was permanently closed down by the war. Its reopening indicates that the Syrian government is expanding its hold over its borders, AFP said.

“We will support everything that serves to normalize the relationship between Lebanon and Syria,” Syrian interior minister Maj. Gen. Mohammad al-Shaar said during a ceremony on Thursday to mark the reopening of the crossing.

“Today the conditions are normal, and this is a message that relations between the two countries are normal,” he added.

The reopening will also have implications for Syrian refugees in the Bekaa Valley, many of whom come from Homs, according to the official. “The return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon to Homs will be completely safe in 2018,” al-Shaar said.

Lebanon’s general security chief, Abbas Ibrahim, who also attended Thursday’s ceremony, said that he hoped this measure would limit the number of illegal crossings between the two countries.

Recommended Reads

• Reuters: The Growth of Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis
• Foreign Affairs: Israel Draws a Red Line in Syria
• The Associated Press: Hunger at Damascus’ Door as Syrian Government Blocks Aid
• Middle East Eye: Southern Syria Faces More Uncertainty as U.S. Pulls Funding For Anti-Assad Militias
• Al-Monitor: FSA Opens New Business Crossing in Northern Syria