Bitter divisions among Syrian negotiators over the question of transferring power remained front and center Thursday as the Geneva peace talks neared the end of a critical first phase guided by UN-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi, who sought to break the ice and keep them talking.
Government and opposition representatives swapped accusations before the TV cameras and inside the closed room in Geneva where the rival delegations were discussing responsibility for violence while seeking a way to end a three-year conflict that has claimed more than 130,000 lives and driven millions more from their homes.
But the day's talks ended by early afternoon, and there was no progress reported by either side before one more day of discussions planned for Friday.
Louay Safi, a spokesman for the opposition's negotiating team, said the two sides talked mainly about the violence, and his delegation presented evidence about "the massacres committed by the regime throughout the region." He told a horde of journalists outside the UN's sprawling Palais des Nations that the only way to stop the violence is to form a transitional governing body for the war-torn country.
But he complained that the government's interpretation of the 2012 Geneva Communique, a transitional roadmap agreed on by world powers at the first round of Syrian peace talks, would "leave the formation of the governing body to the end."
"We believe this is the wrong sequence. This is putting the cart before the horse," he said. "The horse is the transitional governing body. This is the body that will provide the mechanism to implement all the points of Geneva."
The government's focus at the day's talks was on combating terrorists, Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal al-Mikdad said, and "it's very clear they committed a lot of massacres."
"Their rejection of discussing the issue of terrorism and finalizing or coming out with a statement is a scandalous one," he said. "They are not careful about what's happening to Syria. They support all terrorist organizations. They claim to be fighting terrorism while they are conniving with terrorism to kill the Syrian people."
What began as a peaceful uprising for freedom and rights in March 2011 deepened the country's sectarian divide and morphed into a full-blown civil war, making it a difficult proposition to form a transitional government. President Bashar Assad's family, from Syria's Alawite minority, has ruled the country since 1970, but other religious minorities have been pulled into its political orbit while rebellions by members of the Sunni majority were crushed.
Another complication of today's civil war is that the opposition delegation doesn't control all the armed groups inside Syria, including al-Qaida-backed militants who don't feel bound by agreements reached in Geneva. These groups have increasingly gained control of Syria's uprising as it evolved into an insurgency.
Assad's adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, also said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday the government rejects the opposition's call for a transitional governing body and that a presidential election scheduled for later this year may not take place amid the raging violence.
Brahimi has announced that the first phase of the talks will end Friday, as scheduled, and probably be followed by a weeklong break, but he is satisfied that the two sides are at the least "still talking."
Chemical weapons watchdog:
The international chemical weapons watchdog is meeting to discuss slow progress in its mission to destroy Syria's poison gas and nerve agent program.
In a note prepared last week for Thursday's behind-closed-doors meeting of the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu says he spoke to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Jan. 18 "and they both agreed that it was necessary for the removal process to pick up pace."
Under a timeline drawn up last year, the most toxic chemicals in Syria's 1,300-metric-ton stockpile were to have been removed from the country by Dec. 31, but that deadline was missed due to poor security in war-torn Syria and other factors.
So far, just two small consignments of chemicals have been shipped out.
The United States is concerned that the Syrian government is behind schedule in removing chemical weapons materials that are due to be destroyed under an international deal, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Thursday.
"The United States is concerned that the Syrian government is behind in delivering these chemical weapons precursor materials on time with the schedule that was agreed to," Hagel told reporters during a visit to Poland.
In turn, the United States told Syria to take immediate actions to comply with a UN resolution to remove its chemical weapons materials saying demands by Damascus for additional equipment were "without merit" and delays were adding to costs.
A statement by the United States to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the world's chemicals weapons watchdog in The Hague, said just 4 percent of the chemicals declared by Syria had been removed.
"Syria has said that its delay in transporting these chemicals has been caused by 'security concerns' and insisted on additional equipment - armored jackets for shipping containers, electronic countermeasures, and detectors for improvised explosive devices," US representative to the OPCW Robert Mikulak said in the statement to the OPCW's executive council.
"These demands are without merit, and display a 'bargaining mentality' rather than a security mentality," he added.
UK to accept vulnerable Syrian refugees:
British Foreign Secretary William Hague says his country is preparing to accept the most vulnerable Syrian refugees this year.
Hague told a news conference in the Philippine capital, Manila, on Thursday that the UK was still setting up details but would prioritize displaced Syrians who have been exposed to the horrors of the three-year-old conflict, including victims of sexual violence.
Hague says accepting Syrian refugees will give them some respite and care.
At least 2.4 million people are estimated to have fled Syria since the civil strife erupted.
AP/REUTERS
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