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Talks to Resolve Syrian Conflict Cannot Hinge on Cease-Fire

Nassif Hitti argues that a cease-fire cannot be a precondition for talks to end the Syrian conflict. Talks under the auspices of UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi need to start immediately if there is any chance for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.  
Members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at a front line in Bustan al Basha in Aleppo city, northern Syria October 12, 2012. REUTERS/Zain Karam (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Syria's multifaceted conflict seems to be locked in a zero-sum game, with warfare ravaging the country. 

One issue that brings together an otherwise divided opposition is the sine qua non of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's removal, while the Assad regime is still thinking in terms of soft, limited, well-contained reforms that do not change the regime's authoritarian nature.

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