ICC Note: War-ravaged Syria and its displaced population witnessed a glimmer of hope as 2 of Assad’s main Opposition leaders arrived in Geneva for peace talks to end the 5 year war.  The opposition selected representatives to complete the negotiations with the Assad regime which would include interim presidential elections and governance discussions.  The opposition leaders were clear that the negotiations would not discuss or identify any future Syrian President as that “is solely the right of the Syrian people to choose.”  Over the past 5 years, more than 250,000 lives have been taken in the Syrian Civil War which has caused a refugee crisis in Europe and throughout the Middle East of Syrian civilians trying to escape the bloodshed.  Those who remained have done so in hiding or have had to give under persecution of an ISIS or Al-Nusra governance. 

3/12/2016 Syria (Reuters) – Syria’s main opposition group said it would attend peace talks on Monday but accused the government of President Bashar al-Assad of preparing to escalate the war to strengthen its negotiating position.

The U.N.-brokered talks, which coincide with the fifth anniversary of the conflict, will take place in Geneva two weeks after the start of a ceasefire agreement.

The truce deal has reduced violence although not halted the fighting, with further hostilities reported in western Syria on Friday, and as battles against Islamic State raged further east.

The High Negotiations Committee said on Friday it would attend the peace talks as part of its “commitment to international efforts to stop the spilling of Syrian blood and find a political solution”.

But it played down any chance of reaching agreement with the Syrian government to end the war that has killed more than 250,000 people and led to a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe.

Russia said it expected its ally Syria to attend, although Damascus has yet to publicly confirm it will do so. The Syrian foreign minister is expected to announce his government’s position on the talks on Saturday.

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