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Syria threatens to quit Geneva talks Syria regime 'may quit Geneva II talks'
(about 3 hours later)
The Syrian government delegation has threatened to quit peace talks in Geneva if "serious" discussions do not begin by Saturday. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has threatened to walk out of peace talks in Geneva just hours after they began, state media have said.
Foreign Minister Walid Muallem issued the threat on Syrian state media after his team held talks with UN negotiator Lakhdar Brahimi. Mr Muallem told UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi he would quit if "serious" discussions had not begun by Saturday.
Mr Brahimi is due to meet the Syrian opposition separately later on Friday. The regime and the opposition have refused to meet face-to-face and are communicating through Mr Brahimi.
Correspondents say the talks have been troubled from the start, as both sides have deeply entrenched positions. Diplomats say they are now aiming at small concessions such as local truces rather than an overall peace deal.
Syria's civil conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives, the UN says. Both sides blame each other for the lack of progress.
Syria's civil conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives since it began in 2011.
The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbours.The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbours.
Fighting continued on the ground on Friday, with government forces bombing rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Fighting continued on Friday, with government forces bombing rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Setback 'Terrorism' claims
This is the third day of the Geneva conference, but the first in which negotiations get under way in earnest. Preliminary talks had been held on Wednesday and Thursday in Montreux, with Mr Brahimi attempting to get both sides to agree to meet face-to-face.
There were initial hopes of a joint meeting between the two sides, but later it emerged that Mr Brahimi would hold talks with each separately. Friday was supposed to be the first day of official talks, but neither side would meet the other.
Both sides blame the other for this setback. Instead, Mr Brahimi met government delegates in the morning, and the opposition in the afternoon.
The Damascus delegation complained about recent remarks made by the opposition chief, Ahmed Jarba, who said President Bashar al-Assad and his regime were a "political corpse" that could not be part of Syria's future. The Damascus delegation has said the main issue of the talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed "terrorism", by which it means the whole of the armed opposition.
For its part, the opposition said it would not meet government delegates face-to-face until they signed a written commitment accepting the Geneva communique drafted 18 months ago, which calls for a transitional government. Syrian state media quoted sources as describing the meeting between Mr Brahimi and Mr Muallem as productive in searching for common ground.
The talks are ostensibly about the implementation of the communique, but the views of the government and the opposition are so diametrically opposed that Friday's discussions may get no further than preliminary attempts to set a common agenda, the BBC's Bridget Kendall in Geneva reports. But the sources said Mr Muallem had told Mr Brahimi: "Should serious sessions fail to take place tomorrow [Saturday], the official Syrian delegation will leave Geneva."
She says even that may prove difficult: The government is expected to insist on the importance of fighting what it sees as terrorism, while the opposition wants a high priority to be put on the removal of Mr Assad. The opposition, however, has insisted that the regime commit in writing to the 2012 Geneva I communique, which called for a transition process.
But analysts are still hopeful that at least some progress can be made. The communique urged Syria to form transitional governing authority that "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups".
While the two sides are opposed on many issues, they have both indicated a willingness to talk about concrete steps like local ceasefires, prisoner exchanges and establishing safe corridors for the delivery of badly needed humanitarian aid. The BBC's Bridget Kendall in Geneva says the talks are ostensibly about the implementation of the communique.
Assad's role But she adds that the views of the government and the opposition are so diametrically opposed that Friday's discussions may get no further than preliminary attempts to set a common agenda.
Diplomats are now pinning their hopes on smaller breakthroughs.
Analysts say both sides have indicated a willingness to talk about local ceasefires, prisoner exchanges and establishing safe corridors for the delivery of aid.
One of the main sticking points between the government and the rebels is the role of Bashar al-Assad.One of the main sticking points between the government and the rebels is the role of Bashar al-Assad.
The opposition demands his removal from office as a condition for peace. The opposition and most Western governments want him to step down from office as a condition for peace.
It is supported in this by many key foreign observers: US Secretary of State John Kerry has called Mr Assad "a one-man super-magnet for terrorism". US Secretary of State John Kerry has called Mr Assad "a one-man super-magnet for terrorism".
But Syrian officials have flatly rejected any suggestion of Mr Assad stepping down, and he has even suggested he will run for president again in elections due this year. But Syrian officials, backed by Russia, have flatly rejected any transition that insists on Mr Assad standing down.
The Syrian government also has its supporters: Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich has told the BBC that nobody other than Mr Assad can run Syria at the moment. Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told the BBC that nobody other than Mr Assad could run Syria at the moment.