A UN official said Syrian peace talks will begin in Geneva as planned today, despite an ongoing boycott by the main Syrian opposition group which continues to stay away pending assurances from the UN chief on the implementation of Security Council resolutions related to humanitarian issues.
UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura will begin by meeting the government's delegation, which is headed by the country's ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja'afari, according to de Mistura's spokeswoman Khawla Mattar.
She said he would later meet other participants in the talks, including civil society representatives.
The opposition boycott is a blow to the UN's first attempt in two years to bring representatives of President Bashar Assad's government and his opponents together for talks on ending the devastating five-year war.
On the eve of the talks, de Mistura appealed to Syrians to make concessions and described the talks as "an opportunity not to be missed."
The indirect talks are part of a process outlined in a UN resolution last month that envisages an 18-month timetable for a political transition in Syria, including the drafting of a new constitution and elections.
The opposition is facing ongoing disputes over which parties will attend and has come under criticism for including the militant Army of Islam group that controls wide areas near Damascus and is considered a terrorist organization by the Syrian government and Russia.
Earlier today, UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi reflected the sense of chaos and confusion surrounding the beginning of peace negotiations when he told reporters at a briefing that "I don't have a time, I don't have the exact location, and I can't tell you anything about the delegation."
The main Syrian opposition group, known as the Higher Negotiations Committee, or HNC, said it was still waiting for an official response from the United Nations about a list of concerns.
Ahmad Ramadan, a senior official with the Syrian National Coalition, which is part of the HNC, said the opposition will boycott the talks until it receives assurances on the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions on lifting the sieges on rebel held areas and halting bombardment of civilians in Syria.
"There cannot be any negotiations as long as the humanitarian issues have not been discussed or implemented," he said.
Basma Kodmani, a member of the opposition's negotiating team, said the HNC is now studying whether their delegation will come to Geneva to raise these concerns with the UN officials or stay in Saudi Arabia where they can raise them from a distance.
