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               Brahimi to Try Focusing Syria Talks on Geneva Plan

   by VOA News

   United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi plans to focus on the so-called
   Geneva communique as he brings together the warring sides in Syria for
   peace talks Tuesday.
   The document is the basis for the long-awaited negotiations in Geneva.
   It includes several initiatives aimed at stopping the nearly three-year
   crisis in Syria, chiefly creating a transitional government agreed to
   by both sides.
   However, Brahimi said the discussion will address how to proceed with
   the different elements, and will not begin with what he called the
   "complicated" topic of who will take part in the government.
   Rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad insist he must leave
   power, while the Syrian government has said Assad's role is not up for
   debate at the conference.
   The issue was supposed to come up in Monday's talks, but the government
   delegation submitted a paper focusing on the need to combat terrorism
   and halt funding and shipments of weapons to rebels.
   Opposition delegates rejected the Syrian government's "declaration of
   principles," which they said was outside the framework of the Geneva
   talks and did not mention a transfer of power in Damascus.
   Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said government
   negotiators were at the talks to discuss terrorism, not a transfer of
   power. Sources at the talks said Brahimi then broke up the meeting.
   Syria's conflict began in March 2011 as peaceful protests against the
   government of President Bashar al-Assad before spiraling into a civil
   war that the U.N. says has killed well over 100,000 people and forced
   nearly 9 million from their homes.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/brahimi-to-try-focusing-syria-talks-o
   n-geneva-plan/1839051.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/brahimi-to-try-focusing-syria-talks-on-geneva-plan/1839051.html