Brahimi: New Syria peace talks unlikely for now

The resumption of talks in Geneva between the Syrian regime and opposition is unlikely for now, United Nations and Arab League Envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said yesterday.

Speaking in Kuwait ahead of the Arab Summit being held there, Brahimi told reports that returning to talks in Geneva is unlikely for now because the conditions of dialogue are not there.

In response to a question on whether he would visit Syria soon, Brahimi answered “Enough”.

The Geneva II talks, aimed at reaching a political resolution to the Syria crisis, were held on February 15 and ended in failure. No date was set for the resumption of talks.

On March 14 Damascus said Brahimi had “exceeded his authority” and “overstepped” his duties by criticising plans to hold a presidential election amid the conflict that has been ongoing for three years.

The Syrian parliament approved a new law that effectively bars exiled opposition members from running in the election and paves the way for the re-election of President Bashar Al-Assad.

Brahimi warned that holding elections would lead to an end to the talks that aim to resolve the current conflict.

“If there is an election, my suspicion is the opposition, all the oppositions, will probably not be interested in talking to the government,” Brahimi told the UN Security Council.

The Syrian opposition demands that Al-Assad steps down.

The conflict that erupted in mid-March 2011 had led to the death of more than 146,000 Syrians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.