This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
The Syrian peace talks in Geneva straggled to an untidy end with nothing positive to show for a week of tortuous discussions.
In fact, the best thing mediator Lakhdar Brahimi could say to put a positive spin on the fruitless meeting was that the two sides had learned how to sit in a room together.
Mr Brahimi at first said that it had been a very "modest beginnning that we can build on," only to contradict himself later and admit that no progress had been made at all.
The conference ended with three separate and very different press conferences.
Mr Brahimi suggested reconvening on February 10 for fresh talks, but Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moallem said he would report to President Bashar al-Assad and only then would they make a decision on when to return.
The minister also dismissed the opposition's demand for the creation of a new governing body that could transfer power away from President Assad.
He repeated wearily that "the question of who leads Syria lies in the hands of the Syrian people."
Mr Moallem also blamed blatant US interference and the resumption of non-lethal aid to rebels for making the country's problems worse, remarking that it had clearly been a huge mistake to bar Iran from the discussions.
In his own press conference, rebel negotiator Louay Safi maintained his position that all the rebels were interested in was taking power. He said: "The regime clearly doesn't want a political solution.
"We will not sit here endlessly. There will come a point when it will be clear if the regime is willing to talk seriously about transferring power or not."
Several hundred pro-government demonstrators gathered outside the talks to show their support for President Assad.
"We are with the peace negotiations. Syria needs peace. Weapons will not benefit us. We are with peace and peace comes by talks," said protester Sabah Kasouha, who used to live in Homs and now lives in Switzerland.
"When all the countries stop funding the rebels ... then we will be fine."
Please note, an earlier version of this article wrongly attributed criticism of US aid to the rebels and blocking Iran from talks to Mr Brahimi. We apologise for this error.
