Negotiators from Syria's government and opposition traded insults on Friday, calling each other "terrorists" and "adolescents" after an eight-day round of peace talks in Geneva.
The two sides do not meet but negotiate via UN mediator Staffan de Mistura, saving their liveliest invective for the TV cameras after each meeting with him.
Opposition negotiator Nasr al-Hariri said the "terrorist regime" of President Bashar al-Assad had refused to discuss political transition during the talks and said Assad was a war criminal who must step down in the name of peace.
Hariri said he was looking for a negotiating partner who put the interests of the Syrian people first, while his opposite number, the government's chief negotiator, Bashar al Ja'afari, said he only wanted to negotiate with someone "patriotic".
Ja'afari mocked the opposition delegation as "adolescents" who thought they were appearing on a television talent show such as "Arab Idol" or "The Voice", and were under the illusion that government would simply hand over the keys to the country.
Ja'afari said his delegation had given de Mistura documents on all aspects of talks - on elections, constitution, reformed governance and countering terrorism - but the opposition had not responded.
Despite the volley of insults, de Mistura said both sides were keen to return for further talks even if he was "not seeing this immediately developing into a peace agreement."
REUTERS
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