Syrian Peace Talks to Begin on January 222014

Syrian Peace Talks to Begin on January 222014


This is the third date set for the Geneva Peace talks... First was in November. Second was supposed to be next month. Now we have a January 22/2014 date.

NYT's
The Syrian government and opposition will hold their first negotiations
in Geneva on Jan. 22, a spokesman for United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon said on Monday after a meeting among American, Russian and
U.N. officials.
“We will go to Geneva with a mission of hope,” the spokesman, Martin
Nesirky, said in a statement. He added that the aim of the conference
would be the creation of a transitional government based on mutual
consent and with full executive powers, including authority over the
military and security agencies.Aaargh! 'Mission of hope' empty touchy feely wording. Gives me such an "Obama" vibe With an opportunity to assess the readiness of Syrias rebel factions
and of the government of President Bashar al-Assad for long-awaited
negotiations on ending the fighting and forming a transitional
government.
On Sunday, Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N. and Arab League special envoy for
Syria, discussed arrangements for the conference with members of the
Syrian opposition in exile who were to meet officials from U.N.
humanitarian agencies in Geneva on Monday, an aide to the special envoy
said.At a meeting in Istanbul earlier this month, Syrias fractured
opposition coalition agreed to attend a peace conference. That
breakthrough enabled officials to begin the process of setting a date
for the conference, but progress from that agreement to peace talks
still faces considerable challenges that had frustrated efforts to
convene the negotiations, known as Geneva II, in December, diplomats
said.Opposition members briefed Mr. Brahimi on their efforts to broaden
support but diplomats said that the opposition was facing fierce
resistance from more militant jihadists inside the country fighting
government forces and that the coalition was still struggling to put
together a credible negotiating team.The basis for talks between Syrian rebels and the Assad government also
remain unclear. Opposition groups have insisted Mr. Assad must leave
office as part of any settlement, but government officials were equally
adamant in comments earlier this month that they “are not going to
Geneva to hand over power.”The question of Irans participation in Geneva II also remains
undecided. Mr. Brahimi, who believes Iran, as a significant regional
player, should be there, had talks with Irans foreign minister,
Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Geneva for the negotiations about
Irans nuclear program. The agreement reached with the United States and
other world powers in those negotiations on Sunday will make Western
governments more comfortable with Irans presence at Syria talks, a
senior diplomat in Geneva said, but Washington and Saudi Arabia have so
far opposed Iranian involvement.“Nobody knows what theyre going to do but theres a lot of activity and
thats better than none,” a senior European official in Geneva said,
speaking on condition of anonymity in line with diplomatic practice. Mr.
Brahimi “has the idea that everybody just needs to start talking and
once that happens they will find a way forward,” the official said.
Don't miss the two previous posts regarding Iran and P5 + 1 agreement reached.

* Pepe Escobar- Follow the Money: How lobby interests are spinning Iran nuclear deal

* P5+1 make a deal with Iran. Israel steams. Clandestine Meetings
An agreement that won't really settle anything. Not even temporarily. An agreement, that the US or other nations, but not Iran, will breach as soon as they possibly can.It seems safe to say the Israeli and Saudi lobbies have sprung into action. Palms are being greased, so to speak.... *Hawks (and zionists) in US Congress may try and derail deal with Iran