The latest attempt to bring peace to Syria begins in the Russian resort of Sochi today but expectations are low after the regime’s opposition and the Kurds pulled out.
About 1,600 people from all sides of the conflict were invited to the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which has been organised by Moscow and is backed by Turkey and Iran. The Higher Negotiating Council (HNC), the body representing the rebels, announced that it would be boycotting the talks despite meeting Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, in Moscow last week.
The Syrian Kurdish bloc said that it would not be attending due to Turkey’s military operation in the Kurdish area of Afrin. At least seven Turkish soldiers, 59 Kurdish YPG fighters and 69 Turkish-backed rebels have been killed since Ankara began trying to clear Kurdish militias from its border this month. It is not known how many civilians died and the UN estimates that 5,000 have fled.
Syria said yesterday that Turkish airstrikes had damaged a 3,000-year-old Hittite temple in Afrin.
The HNC is participating in western-back talks in Geneva and has accused Russia of undermining that process with the Sochi gathering. Moscow has become the main power-broker in Syria since its military offensive which began in September 2015.