Syrian opposition Reluctant Return Confer If No Progress

Syrian opposition Reluctant Return Confer If No Progress

Syrian opposition delegation in Geneva for the second round of peace talks on Monday , warning that they will not be back for a third round if there is no progress .

" If there is no progress at all , I think it would be a waste of time to think about the third round , " said opposition spokesman Louay Safi told reporters Monday night , as reported by AFP .

He said the delegation was discussing the issue with the UN Arab League mediators Lahkdar Brahimi Monday morning , as the start of the second round of negotiations .

As long as there is a glimmer of hope that the talks can move forward , " we will not run away . We will not stop , " he said, adding that if there is no progress " let's not pretend we're doing something . "

In this case , it would be " more honest to say we have failed , " he says , though he admits the only alternative is to continue to fight through the civil war that has killed more than 136 thousand people and forced millions of people to flee their homes .

AFP reports , comments Safi was given after the first day of tough negotiations , where Brahimi met separately with the government and the opposition team , in the hope that separating them at first may help achieve more progress than the first round of last month's nearly useless .

Syrian parties are scheduled to sit down with the negotiations on Tuesday , said the two sides .

" Tomorrow , at 10 am local time , there will be a joint session , " said Badr Jamous , secretary general of the opposition National Council and members of the delegation .

" We are ready to face the regime anytime and anywhere , " he said .

A source in the delegation regime of President Basher al - Assad reiterated that there will be a joint meeting on Tuesday .

Although bringing the parties involved back in the same table can be seen as a step in the right direction , there are no signs that this time round , which is expected to last until Friday , will make progress to end the bloodshed .

Both sides spent the day blaming each other for the increase in violence on the ground , and neither side seems ready to budge from their position at all .

With the seemingly deadlocked negotiations , Russia on Monday proposed that Moscow and Washington held a collective meeting with the UN and the two sides to try to encourage progress .

United States , which supports the opposition , and Russia , Syria 's main ally , Geneva II talks start and driving for eight months to bring both sides to the negotiating table .

Safi on Monday said that despite the opposition " very disappointed " over Russia's support for Assad 's regime , they would support collective bargaining .

" If this is what it takes to make the regime to negotiate a political solution , then we welcome it , " he said .

The opposition insists that the only way to end a nearly three -year civil war is to realize a transition government - without Assad .

But the Syrian government insists that the future president is not a negotiation .

Instead , the regime insists talks must focus on stopping the violence and " terrorism " - a term for insurgency , which is said to have been triggered by foreign jihadists and Gulf money .