Syria peace talks near collapse as opposition declares pause
Syrian peace talks came close to collapse on Monday, with the rebel fighters announcing a pause in talks at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, although it agreed to keep its negotiating team in the city; Reuters reported.
The Western-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said in a letter to rebel fighters that government military advances meant a ceasefire was effectively over and it was calling a postponement in the talks.
Rebels, who accuse the government of breaking the ceasefire to try to recapture the northern city of Aleppo, announced an offensive of their own, launching an assault against government forces in Latakia province on the Mediterranean coast.
Opposition fighters made separate advances further east in Hama, while heavy government air strikes took place in Homs province to the south.
There was "no way" the opposition could resume formal talks amid a military escalation and a worsening humanitarian situation, senior opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush told Reuters.
"We want real negotiations, not farcical ones,” he said, adding that the opposition had not decided whether it would continue to meet U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura.
Nevertheless, de Mistura played down the decision by the opposition delegation to stay away from his headquarters, saying his team would continue to meet the delegates elsewhere as long as they were still in town.
He acknowledged that violence had become "worrisome", particularly around Aleppo, and said he would call on Moscow and Washington to meet urgently if the situation did not improve.
The United States also urged Russia to use its influence to make the government stop its attacks immediately. These threatened not only the partial ceasefire but also the talks in Geneva, a U.S. State Department official said.
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