GENEVA – UN mediator Staffan de Mistura De Mistura conceded Friday he was “still detecting large distances” between the government and main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) at the talks, which are due to resume Monday.
The opposition meanwhile were sanguine in their assessment, while criticising the “manoeuvres” of the Damascus government delegation.
“For the opposition, it was an opportunity to show its unity and willingness to participate effectively in a peace process,” said HNC representative Bassma Kodmani.
“In contrast we do not see any readiness on the other side to do the same. We see many manoeuvres on their part. From that standpoint I am not very optimistic,” Kodmani said.
De Mistura, who noted the peace drive had helped essentially maintain a fragile ceasefire since being declared on February 27, urged the regime to go much further and said he hoped for detailed submissions within the week.
The HNC has made the departure of Bashar al-Assad a non-negotiable demand, but Damascus has termed any talk of the president’s removal “a red line.”
The talks are designed to oversee the formation of a transitional administration as the country seeks to move beyond a civil war that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.
 
Source:  AFP, 19  March 2016