No breakthrough expected at new Syria talks
Expectations were modest for a new round of Syria talks set to get underway in Geneva Feb. 23, with the new US administration still formulating its policies.
WASHINGTON — United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said that he was not expecting a breakthrough at a new round of Syria talks set to get underway in Geneva on Feb. 23. Instead, he aimed to gain momentum on talks toward a political settlement while a fragile cease-fire brokered by Russia and Turkey late last year has mostly held.
“Am I expecting a breakthrough? No, I'm not expecting a breakthrough,” de Mistura told journalists at a press conference in Geneva on Feb. 22. "But I am expecting and determined [to keep] a very pro-active momentum.”
"There is a rush between us and the spoilers,” he said. “We have to outpace those [spoilers] … with momentum on the political track, and I think we can aim at that.”
Beyond spoilers on the battlefield, he said, the fact that the new US administration, just over a month in office, is still formulating its policies, may be another unintended drag on political talks gaining momentum now.
