Envoy pushes Syria peace talks as UN warns of child hunger
Geneva II peace talks under threat as opposition demands Assad resignation, meanwhile children trapped in conflict suffer
The UN-Arab League envoy to Syria has said no peace conference will be possible without the Syrian opposition, as the United Nations warned of rising malnutrition among children trapped in battle zones.
Hoping to build on the momentum of last month’s US-Russia accord to destroy Syria’s chemical arsenal by mid-next year, envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has been criss-crossing the region to rally support for the so-called Geneva II talks.
Syria’s opposition has refused to attend unless President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation is on the table – a demand rejected by Damascus. Rebel groups have warned they would consider participants traitors.
“If the opposition does not participate there will be no Geneva conference,” Brahimi said in Damascus on Friday, before travelling to Beirut.
The veteran Algerian diplomat met Assad on Wednesday, and said the Syrian government had agreed to take part in the talks and that the opposition was “trying to find a way to be represented”.
The 31-month-old conflict has also triggered a massive humanitarian crisis. On Friday, the UN’s food aid agency voiced fears about severe food shortages and children going hungry in besieged areas.