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                     Syria Peace Talks Begin Amid Confusion

   by Luis Ramirez

   U.N. officials say they are going ahead with talks to end the
   5-year-old Syrian civil war starting Friday afternoon in Geneva, after
   the opposition said it would not attend.

   A Syrian government delegation was due to arrive at the venue for the
   start of what U.N. organizers say will be indirect proximity talks that
   aim to lay the groundwork for negotiations to end the conflict.

   A U.N. spokeswoman told VOA the talks would begin at 1500 UTC with a
   meeting between U.N. officials and Syrian government representatives.

   The Saudi-backed opposition group, the High Negotiations Council said
   it will stay away after its demands for an end to air strikes on
   civilians and a lifting on the siege in Syria have not been met.
   Representatives of the group, however, did not rule out joining later.

   ''Assad vs. rebels
   The war has killed a quarter of a million people and displaced millions
   of others, pitting the government of Bashar al-Assad against rebels -
   both moderates and militants. Both the government and the moderate
   opposition have, at the same time, been battling extremists that
   include Islamic State militants.

   The U.N. did not invite the Islamic State group because the U.N.
   considers IS a terrorist organization.

   Confusion over who should represent the opposition, and the
   opposition's demands for its conditions to be met prior to the start of
   talks showed how difficult the road to peace will be.

   In the final hours before the start of talks Friday, organizers worked
   to smooth differences enough to get all parties to attend.

   ''De Mistura: talks 'cannot fail'

   In a video message to the Syrian people Thursday night, U.N. special
   envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said the talks "cannot fail." He
   said five years of the conflict have been "too much" and the Syrian
   people, he said, have had "enough."

   Pressure to enter into negotiations is largely external, with the
   United States, the European Union, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia all
   pushing for a solution.

   In the West, that urgency has been fueled by terrorist attacks in Paris
   and the United States, and by the migrant crisis. Four million people,
   largely from Syria, are expected to arrive in western Europe this year.

   The battles in Syria have intensified since September when Russia began
   air strikes in support of President Assad, countering the efforts of
   opposition groups supported by the United States, some members of the
   European Union, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

   The complicated backdrop makes the peace process especially difficult.

   ''Putin's support
   With Russian support, Assad's forces have made significant gains.
   Analysts say the government has little incentive to negotiate with an
   opposition that is weak and fractured.

   Nadim Shehadi, Director of Fares Center at Fletcher School of Law and
   Diplomacy in Boston, is pessimistic. "We are pressuring the opposition
   to prove that they are united, coherent, that they have a strong
   leadership and that they have a vision, and a policy and a certain
   consensus on what the future will be and I don't think they do, I don't
   think they will in the near future, and I don't think they can," he
   said.

   The talks had been set to begin on January 25 but were delayed to
   Friday by discussions on who should represent the opposition.

   WATCH: Syrian Civil War explained

   ''
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-peace-talks-begin-amid-confusion/3168102.html