The direct talks between Syria’s government and the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) continue to move forward today, and for the first time they sat in the same room with one another.
Friday marked the beginning of direct talks, though at the time the SNC would only meet in the same room in the government agreed to regime change, and the talks almost ended outright there.
Today, UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says the two sides were in the same room, but at different tables, and he was at a third table in the middle ferrying messages back and forth, adding “we have not achieved much, but we are continuing.”
Reports are that the three hours of talks centered around the possibility of aid corridors for Homs, and a deal on that could be reached Sunday. The two sides are also expected to discuss prisoner exchanges on Sunday.
Monday is where things get tough, as that’s the day the SNC is planning for discussion of a “transitional government,” which is to say they are hoping to convince everyone at the conference that they should establish a new, SNC-dominated regime.
Are the 999 other factions that have fought against Assad, and sometimes the SNC, going to accept a transition plan that puts the SNC in charge, pack up, and go home? More to the point, will the Syrian people accept a government installed by a foreign nation as legitimate? My guess is "No" to both questions, and that means Syria's troubles are far from over even if Assad does step down.