The United Nations’ efforts to launch a new round of Syria peace talks is threatened, as the death toll due to last two days of violence in the country has crossed 100. Suicide blasts targeted two security service bases in Homs yesterday, killing a top intelligence chief and close confidant of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in all, 42 people were killed, but the provincial governor put the figure at 30. The blasts were claimed by former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.
The attacks came a day after 77 people, mostly civilians, were killed in a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State terror group in Al-Bab. Syrian government and opposition negotiators were to continue meetings with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura through the weekend in Geneva despite little hope for a breakthrough. Mr de Mistura said, the attacks were designed to spoil the talks. Bashar al-Jaafari, the regime’s envoy to the talks in Geneva, said Syria would retaliate.
The United Nations has invited the Syrian government and opposition delegations to attend intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva, starting on 23 February 2017. These negotiations will be guided by Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), focusing on matters of governance, including a new constitution for Syria and the holding of elections.
Ahead of the UN-led negotiations, Special Envoy de Mistura took part in talks organized in Astana, Kazakhstan, by Russia, Turkey and Iran. Parties agreed to a nationwide ceasefire that began on 30 December 2016 and has generally been holding since.
FILE PHOTO