Syrian Peace Talks at Standstill in Switzerland...

Geneva, Switzerland
-On Monday afternoon, the first meeting of the newly formed Syrian transitional government adjourned less than an hour after it began, citing a tense session where one delegate described it as "a dialogue of the deaf". The newly formed transitional government has been quite a contentious issue as they have been mute as to whether or not Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad will remain in power.

Opposition party members fully support Al-Assad stepping down in favor of forming a transitional governing body with full executive powers. The goal of this new government would be to lead Syria until new elections are held later this year.

Monday's brief meeting focused on humanitarian aid and a possible prisoner exchange between the two sides. The U.N. envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, mediated the session. The syrian city of Homs has been one of the hardest hit during the Syrian Civil War and has suffered both collateral damage and mass casualties. Yesterday, the two sides agreed to evacuate women and children in Homs, prior to the arrival of aid convoys

Monday's session represented the first face to face peace talks by opposition forces. While the meetings did not yield much-Mr. Brahimi conceded to reporters at a news conference that the talks so far “haven’t produced much"- the overall tone was positive. While there is much to be discussed and deep tensions divide the two sides, both groups expressed their willingness to resume talking and not walk away, planning to reconvene on Tuesday morning.

William B. Robinson
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