Peace talks draw Syrian opposition, govt apart

The leader of Syria's Western-backed opposition said today he will give his negotiating team the authority it needs in any talks with President Bashar Assad's government.
Ahmad al-Jarba, head of the Syrian National Coalition, said he had no timeframe in mind. But, he said, " We made the difficult decision to attend the talks." Speaking at a news conference, he said Assad's allies were falling away as the prospect of peace talks approached.
The two sides have not yet spoken directly at the peace talks in Switzerland aimed at forging a path out of Syria's civil war.
Syria's government declared that its main priority was stopping terrorism, not ensuring peace, and before al-Jarba spoke with reporters today it had not been clear whether the opposition was ready to negotiate directly with the government it wants to overthrow.

As the two sides spend the day meeting separately with a UN mediator known for untangling diplomatic knots, their comments reflected positions hardened by nearly three years of civil war.
The goal of direct talks by Friday had appeared distant at best. But that seemed to change when al-Jarba said, "The road to negotiations has begun."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, speaking after the tense opening day of a peace conference that has nearly fallen apart at every step, said his government's priority was to "to fight terrorism."
He said, "This paves the way for the start of the political process and an internal Syrian dialogue without any foreign intervention."

At least 130,000 people have been killed in the fighting that began in March 2011 with a peaceful uprising against President Bashar Assad's rule, according to activists who are the only ones still keeping count.
The fighting in Syria has become a proxy war between regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia, and taken on post-Cold War overtones with Russia and the United States backing opposite sides.
Assad's government blames the West for the influx of foreign militants who have taken up the cause of the rebellion, and claims that his fall would turn the region into an al-Qaeda haven.
Al-Moallem dismissed the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition as exiled, ineffectual meddlers, insisting that any political negotiations should take place without outside interference and with those who truly represent Syrians.