Peace Talks Pause as Cease-Fire Collapses
The peace talks in Geneva were on the edge of collapse Tuesday after airstrikes targeted a crowded vegetable market in Idlib, killing at least 48 people.
The opposition’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC) described the attacks as a “dangerous escalation,” saying the cessation of hostilities was finished and that the delegation would keep out of negotiations indefinitely.
Fighter jets simultaneously hit two marketplaces in adjacent Idlib towns, killing at least 38 people in Maarat al-Numan and another 10 people in Kafranbel, a rescue worker told Reuters.
Residents of Maarat al-Numan have been protesting against the presence of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front for the past month and a half.
Tuesday’s airstrikes, which followed intense ground fighting in the country’s north over the past two weeks, point toward a steady deterioration of the six-week-old cease-fire. The truce, brokered by Russia and the United States, was meant to pave the way for the first peace talks between warring sides since the violence began five years ago.
The talks in Geneva, however, were already on the verge of collapse earlier this week when the opposition’s delegation called for a pause on Monday.
“There cannot be a political process which prolongs the life of this regime. We will not accept this,” said HNC coordinator Riad Hijab, but he stopped short of fully withdrawing from the talks.
Assad Launches Russian-Backed Counteroffensive in Latakia
Pro-government forces backed by Russian warplanes launched a counteroffensive against rebels in Latakia on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
The Syrian army and its allied militia reportedly managed to retake most of the areas seized by rebel forces in an offensive launched the previous day, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A coalition of 10 rebel groups, including factions affiliated with the Free Syrian Army (FSA), as well as Ahrar al-Sham and Jaish al-Islam, announced Monday the beginning of an offensive aimed at retaking areas captured by pro-regime forces over the past year.
“We announce the formation of a joint operations room … in response to violations and breaches of Assad’s forces,” the rebel groups said in a statement, adding that government troops had “targeted refugee camps … and residential areas.”
Intense ground battles raged throughout the day on Tuesday between pro-government forces and Islamist and FSA factions near the town of Kabbana, according to the Observatory.
Assad’s Future Not Up for Discussion, Says Government
The Syrian government’s head negotiator in Geneva said Tuesday that President Bashar al-Assad’s future was not up for discussion at the peace talks, underscoring the increasingly slim chances of reviving the negotiations put on hold by the opposition earlier this week.
Speaking to the Lebanese TV station al-Mayadeen, Bashar al-Ja’afari said his delegation was advocating an expanded government – an idea rejected by the opposition – as a solution to the five-year-long war.
“In Geneva we have one mandate only to arrive at the expanded national government only, this is our mandate … this is the goal we strive to achieve in the Geneva talks,” he said.
Ja’afari went on to say that Assad’s fate could never be raised during the negotiations and was not a matter that should be decided upon by any U.N.-led political process.
“This matter (the presidency) does not fall under the jurisdiction of Geneva … this is a Syrian-Syrian affair, Security Council or no Security Council.”
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- The Economist: Syria’s Peace Talks and Partial Cease-Fire Are Both Breaking Down
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- Bloomberg: Opposition Says Syrian Truce Has Collapsed as Dozens Killed
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- The New York Times: Syria Cease-Fire Crumbles as Bombings Kill Dozens
Top image: A refugee from Syria takes a picture of his family by the border fence near a makeshift migrant and refugee camp at the northern Greek border point of Idomeni, Greece, on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)