Both sides still talking at end of first week of Syria peace talks

Islamic Extremism

The United Nation’s Syria envoy wrapped up a fractious week of peace talks. U.N.’s Steffan De Mistura called on the Syrian government to offer clear proposals for a political transition, and said agreeing on plans for a unity government was the most daunting obstacle to peace.

CCTV’s Richard Bestic reports from Geneva.

Every day this week, the two warring sides have arrived at the U.N. and at the end of each day, their positions have remained deadlocked.

Around the table, the U.N.’s chief mediator Steffan de Mistura has pointedly praised the opposition for its detailed plans of an interim government.

A transition government poses a problem for the Syrian side, as potentially it could lead to the removal of President Bashar Al Assad. A critical demand of the opposition, it is a complete no-go for government negotiators.

With foreign intervention on their minds, the Syrian side will be aware that next week in Moscow, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be meeting Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.

Russia and the U.S are the powerbrokers in this desperate search for peace in Syria if Kerry and Lavrov feel these talks are doomed to perpetual positioning, they could well decide at their meeting next week that it’s time to impose a solution with irresistible diplomatic force.


Kurt Volker on EU Summit and Syria Crisis

For more, CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO.