U.N. aiming to break deadlock in Syria talks, humanitarian aid on Tuesday agenda

Published January 28th, 2014 - 12:43 GMT
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters Monday that despite the slow pace of talks, getting both the opposition and regime in the same room has represented a major step forward (File Archive/AFP)
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters Monday that despite the slow pace of talks, getting both the opposition and regime in the same room has represented a major step forward (File Archive/AFP)

The U.N. will try to break a deadlock that has halted Syrian peace talks in Geneva as the long-awaited conference enters its fourth day of negotiations, according to Agence France Presse.


The talks previously "hit an impasse" Monday with regime and opposition representatives starkly divided after Syrian president Bashar Al Assad's representatives presented a document that did not call for the regime to step down as part of the country's government transition.


U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi admitted to reporters Monday that talks have "not produced much," but emphasized that "getting the two sides to sit in the same room was a step forward."


After Monday's deadlock, expectations for Tuesday's talks which are supposed to focus on humanitarian aid, particularly for besieged areas such as Homs, as well as the 2012 Geneva communique, which outlines the "creation of a transitional governing body in Syria," are low.


"If there are no steps forward in the next few days, the process will become more and more fragile," a Western diplomat told AFP.


However, both the regime and opposition have "vowed" that they will "not be the first to walk away from the talks."


The talks are expected to last until Friday.


The ongoing talks in Geneva represent the "biggest diplomatic push yet" to end the conflict in Syria that has already claimed more than 130,000 lives. 

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