No compromise on Assad during Syrian peace talks

World Today

A Syrian government delegation has arrived at UN-backed talks in Geneva. With the violence worsening on the ground, there seems little sign of progress. 

CCTV’s Guy Henderson files this report.

Shortly after arriving, the Syrian government delegation submitted a negotiating position to UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. This position, however, was not shared publicly.

“Mr. De Mistura will make use of the weekend to study in-depth our paper and then submit it to the other groups and will come back to us as to our amendments on this paper,” Bashar Jaafari, Head of the Syrian Government Delegation, said.

When opposition emerged from a separate meeting with the UN’s envoy, the Syrian delegation was not in a mood to compromise.

The main opposition group has outlined what they’d like a transitional body to look like. But one member of their delegation told CCTV that before agreeing to any of those points, they first wanted to deal with the future of Bashar al-Assad. Syria’s president won’t be discussed until Monday when formal talks reconvene. By then, some fear the six-week cessation of hostilities may have all but collapsed.