The United Nations is finally working on a plan for a solution to the Syrian crisis. It hopes to convene peace talks between Syria’s government led by President Bashar Al Assad and the opposition on January 25. This announcement came a day after the killing of a powerful rebel leader who supported negotiations. The death of opposition chief Zahran Alloush, 44, who was the chief of Jaish Al Islam (Army of Islam), the predominant opposition faction in the Eastern Ghouta rebel bastion east of Damascus, also threatened to derail a plan to evacuate thousands of jihadists and civilians from southern Damascus.
The UN peace talks plan comes very late, and Syria has plunged so deep into chaos that new developments on the ground can effectively scupper peace talks. The UN has definitely been trying for a solution to the crisis, but those efforts didn’t carry enough heft and were not supported with the participation of major global powers. Official-level talks initiated by Syrian envoys appointed by the global agency never proceeded beyond a point, the differences and intransigence of the parties involved being insurmountable.
The death of the rebel leader, for example, has emboldened the Syrian government. Assad’s regime claimed responsibility for the death, which was seen as dealing a huge blow to the nearly five-year uprising and therefore can complicate the fragile peace process. Syrians, the Arab world, and most of the major powers are demanding that the exit of Assad is a must for peace in Syria. But the expulsion of Assad has become difficult with the intervention of Russia in the war. Any gains by the regime forces will only complicate Assad’s departure.
At the same time, there is no alternative to the peace talks. UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura’s office said he has “intensified efforts” to convene talks on January 25, hopefully including the “broadest possible spectrum” of opposition representatives. A statement said the UN envoy “counts on full cooperation of all the relevant Syrian parties in this process. Continuing developments on the ground should not be allowed to derail it.” But despite his sincere wish, continuing developments on the ground are likely to affect the outcome of the talks. The talks are the first step of an ambitious 18-month plan endorsed by the UN Security Council to end Syria’s war, which has killed more than 250,000 people.
Jaish al-Islam was one of the most influential armed groups invited to broad-based opposition talks in Riyadh earlier this month. Alloush’s death also appeared to halt the planned evacuation of some 4,000 people, half of them jihadists, from Damascus’ southern districts on Saturday.
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The United Nations is finally working on a plan for a solution to the Syrian crisis. It hopes to convene peace talks between Syria’s government led by President Bashar Al Assad and the opposition on January 25. This announcement came a day after the killing of a powerful rebel leader who supported negotiations. The death of opposition chief Zahran Alloush, 44, who was the chief of Jaish Al Islam (Army of Islam), the predominant opposition faction in the Eastern Ghouta rebel bastion east of Damascus, also threatened to derail a plan to evacuate thousands of jihadists and civilians from southern Damascus.
The UN peace talks plan comes very late, and Syria has plunged so deep into chaos that new developments on the ground can effectively scupper peace talks. The UN has definitely been trying for a solution to the crisis, but those efforts didn’t carry enough heft and were not supported with the participation of major global powers. Official-level talks initiated by Syrian envoys appointed by the global agency never proceeded beyond a point, the differences and intransigence of the parties involved being insurmountable.
The death of the rebel leader, for example, has emboldened the Syrian government. Assad’s regime claimed responsibility for the death, which was seen as dealing a huge blow to the nearly five-year uprising and therefore can complicate the fragile peace process. Syrians, the Arab world, and most of the major powers are demanding that the exit of Assad is a must for peace in Syria. But the expulsion of Assad has become difficult with the intervention of Russia in the war. Any gains by the regime forces will only complicate Assad’s departure.
At the same time, there is no alternative to the peace talks. UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura’s office said he has “intensified efforts” to convene talks on January 25, hopefully including the “broadest possible spectrum” of opposition representatives. A statement said the UN envoy “counts on full cooperation of all the relevant Syrian parties in this process. Continuing developments on the ground should not be allowed to derail it.” But despite his sincere wish, continuing developments on the ground are likely to affect the outcome of the talks. The talks are the first step of an ambitious 18-month plan endorsed by the UN Security Council to end Syria’s war, which has killed more than 250,000 people.
Jaish al-Islam was one of the most influential armed groups invited to broad-based opposition talks in Riyadh earlier this month. Alloush’s death also appeared to halt the planned evacuation of some 4,000 people, half of them jihadists, from Damascus’ southern districts on Saturday.
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