Unsurprisingly, it Looks Like the Syria Peace Talks Will End With No Progress

Credit: Christiaan Triebert/wikimedia

Yesterday, United Nations-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said, "Failure is always staring at us in the face." when asked whether the ongoing Syria peace talks had failed. Voice of America is reporting that the talks "are set to wrap up Friday, with no progress on ending a three-year civil war."

This should not be a surprise. A day after the talks resumed, Brahimi said that Syrian government and opposition representatives were not making much progress. The talks not only include representatives of the Syrian government and some of Assad's opposition, but also Russia (only of Assad's strongest allies) as welll as the U.S. and the U.K., who have backed the more moderate elements among the rebel forces in Syria.

Opposition representatives are frustrated with the Syrian government, which will not discuss plans for a transitional government. VOA points out that it is unclear if a third round of talks will take place.

The second round of talks took place amid rising violence in Syria. According to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 230 people have been killed a day in Syria since Jan. 22.

Even if it were the case that the Syrian government and opposition representatives were to come to some sort of agreement it is hard to see how easily such a deal could be implemented. Many opposition groups are not represented at the talks, and some threatened to blacklist those who attended the negotiations before they began.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Forget it, Matt. It's Syriatown.

[MiloMinderbinder]

Did anyone expect anything else to happen?

Well I do remember the 1st day of the meeting when NPR lead its broadcast with breathless excitement on news of the talks. They did the the same thing again when the "2nd round" of talks began.

[Swiss Servator, Befehl!]

But...but...John Kerry!!!!11!1! Smart Diplomacy!!11!1

[Bardas Phocas]

This is another of those shadow plays (NOT Kabuki!) around bloody wars.

The diplomats and various political leaders for all sides, wing on and on - but none of the actual fighters in the war want peace. They still believe they'll win on the battlefield - or get more outside support via battlefield wins/massacres/losses/propaganda.

Well, it lets reporters in comfy places like Geneva give breathless reports on "progress" or "constructive" talks.

[Steve G]

I has a completely unforeseen sad

[R C Dean]

United Nations-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said, "Failure is always staring at us in the face."

So true. An envoy from a collection of incompetents and kleptocrats to a collection of fanatics and thugs is always going to have failure staring him in the face, no matter which way he turns.

[Rich]

Knock, knock!

Who's there?

NO!! It is YOU who are wrong!!

[The Last American Hero]

I am completely slack-jawed. I was told Chocolate Nixon had elevated our global standing to such lofty heights, we would have the clout to bring these chuckleheads together and negotiate a mutually agreeable solution to their dispute.