Saudi-backed opposition set to join Syrian peace talks

The Saudi-sponsored Syrian opposition yesterday announced it would take part in the second session of UN-mediated indirect talks to end the five-year Syrian conflict, easing concerns about postponement or boycott.

"After consultations, the [Riyadh-based] High Negotiations Committee [HNC] agreed to go to Geneva. The delegation is expected to arrive on Friday," said Riad Nassan Agha, a spokesman for the group.

He said the committee had noticed a sharp decline in ceasefire violations in recent days and progress in humanitarian areas such as more access for delivery of goods and medical supplies to besieged areas.

HNC coordinator Riad Hijab said last Friday that conditions for talks had not been promising since Russian and Syrian aircraft had mounted 90 strikes since a ceasefire came into effect on February 27th.

Russia accused HNC-linked armed factions of repeatedly violating the ceasefire.

Delay in the decision to take part had raised suspicions that the HNC remained either divided on participation or determined to follow the policy of brinkmanship adopted before the first peace talks in January, which were suspended due to HNC pre-conditions.

Insisting on talks

Washington and Moscow, co-sponsors of the peace process, had insisted talks should go ahead on Friday.

Government and civil society delegations have already agreed to engage in proximity negotiations for the establishment of a unity government to draft a new constitution and hold elections by August 2017.

The situation has changed dramatically since a cessation of hostilities was imposed by UN Security Council resolution.

The opposition British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that civilian fatalities had fallen by 90 per cent and deaths among combatants by 80 per cent.

The Islamic State terrorist group and al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra, groups excluded from the truce, have lost more than 500 fighters due to air strikes by the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition and Russia.

In retaliation, Nusra shelled government-held districts of Aleppo on Sunday, killing 19 civilians.

The truce could collapse if talks do not resume. The Syrian army, supported by Iranian reinforcements and Russian air power, could launch fresh offensives against HNC- linked insurgents across the country.

Battlefield gains

Since Russian airpower intervened last October, the Syrian army has made strategic battlefield gains, consolidated control of suburbs of

Damascus

, Homs, Hama and the coast, and crossed the border into Islamic State-controlled Raqqa province.

The truce has permitted Syrians living in besieged Aleppo to leave their homes and shop, and visit friends and relatives. Damascenes have flocked to parks without fear of being struck by random mortars fired by Saudi-backed Army of Islam based east of the city.

Halting flow of refugees

Residents of the insurgent stronghold of

Douma

have shopped in street markets without looking to the sky for aircraft bearing bombs.

Abandoning the ceasefire could also turn war-weary Syrians everywhere against the HNC, its Saudi and Turkish patrons, and the government, and prompt families seeing no end to war to attempt the risky journey to Europe.

Halting the flow of refugees means ending the war so Syrians can remain at home or return to their homeland.