SNC says detainees and Homs aid discussed during first session
(26 Jan 2014) A member of the Syrian opposition said on Sunday that a morning session on providing aid and releasing detainees failed to produce an agreement at ongoing peace talks at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. Obaida Nahas, a member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition's negotiating team, said that a convoy of 12 trucks trying to get the humanitarian aid into Homs has not been allowed in yet. "We understand there's a meeting today with the governor of Homs to look into this issue," he told reporters following the meeting. The proposed convoy of aid to Homs, which has been under government attack for more than a year, would provide a tangible success for a peace conference beset from the start by low expectations. Homs was considered a promising place to start the negotiations. The city was one of the first areas that plunged into armed conflict in 2011. Neighbourhoods in the old city have been ravaged following repeated government assaults to reclaim control from rebels. The city had a pre-war population of 1 (m) million, but most residents have since fled. Activists say about 800 families are trapped, without regular access to food, medicine and basic necessities. The Syrian government delegation asked to refer back to Damascus before giving its final answer on a Homs truce later Sunday, Nahas said. Nahas also said that the opposition submitted to UN mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi, a list with the names of more than 1,000 women and 1,300 children detainees, demanding their immediate release by the government. "We asked for the separation between two issues: the detainees in general and the women and children. We asked for immediate release of women and children. And we wanted to see them out as soon as possible," he said. But he accused the government of "stalling" and said no progress had been made yet. Nahas added that the two delegations will hold separate meetings with Brahimi, which he described as "preparatory talks" about the political issues that would be discussed Monday. Brahimi said late Saturday the thorniest topic - a possible transitional government - will not come up until at least Monday. The delegation for President Bashar Assad complained that the talks are avoiding the main issues and questioned their usefulness, while the opposition said the government negotiating team wanted to "lecture" instead of make decisions. The Western-backed opposition, made up largely of exiled Syrians, says Assad has lost legitimacy and can no longer lead a country after unleashing the military on largely peaceful protests nearly three years ago. The government says the rebellion is rife with "terrorists" and that Assad is the only person able to end the fighting that has killed more than 130-thousand people. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
