Since Monday, Syrian government and opposition representatives have been huddled in Geneva in a United Nations-backed effort to try and at least halt the brutal hostilities that have ripped Syria apart now for five years. Steffan de Mistura, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, along with the backing of regional governments and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, are faced with the daunting task of halting the fighting that has left 260,000 dead and millions more displaced as refugees either within the broken nation or in camps are spread across Europe.
It’s the third time that the parties have tried to end the bloody war. Geneva 1 and 2 ended largely in failure — the fighting continued and Syrians continued to die and flee, only to die on the Mediterranean Sea. This time around, Geneva 3 benefits from groundwork being laid in Vienna by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG). The ISSG foresees a ceasefire followed by transitional government in place by the summer, with elections to follow in 2017.
Clearly, the stakes could not be higher. As Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Foreign Minister, said on Tuesday, with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov: “It is imperative that countries, despite their conflicting stances, should work together to resolve the Syrian and other crises in the region.”
Even to get to this early stage in the Geneva 3 process, many difficulties have had to be overcome. The main Syrian opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), are adamant that air strikes from Russian fighters must end by this weekend if they are to continue talking — and they reluctantly agreed to attend, delaying the formal start to Geneva 3 until Monday.
Those air strikes are allowing Syrian government forces on the ground to advance, regaining territory and villages that had been under the control of the opposition forces. Clearly, as long as the strikes continue, the opposition’s bargaining position is being eroded. The HNC also wants sieges lifted to allow for food and aid to be delivered to hungry civilians.
Every party at the negotiating process in Geneva has its own vested interests to protect and secure. But protecting those vested interests must not come before the despair, desolation and deaths endured by ordinary Syrians these past five years. At the very least, Geneva 3 represents the only chance now to end hostilities to provide humanitarian relief. That’s the first goal these talks must achieve — bringing an end to the fighting. Anything else would be a bonus. But first things first.
