UN: Syria Peace Talks Unlikely to Resume

Not Much Interest on Either Side for New Talks

Last month’s Geneva II peace talks on Syria came and went with a lot of noise and a lot of blame-trading. A month later, the talks seem more or less permanently on hold.

UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi says that it is “unlikely” there will be any new Geneva talks on Syria any time soon, citing the lack of interest from either side and “conditions” that aren’t conducive to another round.

The rebels warned Brahimi they won’t hold any new talks ever if Syria goes through with scheduled elections, which since they won’t be held in rebel territory will almost certainly mean another term for President Assad.

The Assad government, likewise, sees little point in talking with the feckless rebel factions the West has agreed to allow at Geneva talks, since those factions have little to no influence on the fighters on the ground and can’t really agree to anything to begin with.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.