US & Russia push opening of Syria talks amid opposition boycott

DEBKAfile: The US and Russia offered a rare show of unity Friday when they backed UN envoy Staffan de Mistura to open the talks on Syria’s fate in Geneva – with or without the opposition in attendance.  Up until the last moment, some opposition leaders demanded an end to air strikes and government blockades as their condition for attending the talks. It was not clear whether the Syrian rebel organizations support by Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates would turn up in Geneva. DEBKAfile was the first publication to disclose the US-Russian accord to collaborate for a political solution of the Syrian crisis.