UN push for talks on Syria crucial

The United Nations is right to continue to seek a political solution to the vicious civil war in Syria, and it is right to ask both the government and opposition to come to its next meeting. Two weeks ago, it held a successful preparatory meeting of 19 governments, which included the regime’s backers Russia and Iran, and others backing the secular opposition. All the participants agreed on four key objectives — including Syria’s territorial integrity, the necessity of an inclusive solution, the need for a new constitution and urgent humanitarian aid. But the meeting failed to agree on two vital issues of when Syrian President Bashar Al Assad should leave office and when all foreign (including Iranian) forces should leave the country — which may derail any immediate continuation of the talks.

But even if 19 governments have come to an agreement or at least agreed to have a managed disagreement, it is far more important that the Syrian combatants themselves start talking, and this has not yet happened.

This means that the detailed timetable emerging from the UN talks of an immediate ceasefire, followed by an interim government and handover of power, leading to a new constitution and eventual elections, is no more than a framework that may be useful when the fighting stops.

The reality is that it is still very easy for the forces on the ground to ignore such plans and continue fighting as they seek a way to maximise their territory before committing to any talks. The UN process is vital so that there is a viable route out of the fighting when the combatants stop and it is important that any outside nation that is working with forces on the ground should use its good offices to encourage negotiations.

What makes this very difficult situation almost impossible to sort out is a separate but intertwined war going on against Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in Syria and Iraq, which has recently attracted greater US forces on the ground.