Int’l envoy apologizes for Syria talks failureFebruary 15, 2014 - 18:38 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has apologized to the Syrian people after peace talks in Geneva ended without making progress, according to BBC News. He had held final discussions with both sides in Geneva in a last-ditch bid to break the stalemate between the Syrian government and opposition. He said the main sticking point was the government, which refused again to talk about a transitional governing body. The conflict in Syria has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011. Some 9.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes. The discussions on Saturday, Feb 15 morning lasted just 27 minutes, after which Brahimi emerged looking tired to address reporters, the BBC says. Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people, admitting that the talks "had not come out with very much". Although the two sides had agreed on an agenda for the next round, Brahimi said the government had rejected his suggestion to begin a third round by spending a day focusing on combating violence and terrorism, and a second day discussing a transitional government. Brahimi said the government's stance "raises the suspicion of the opposition that the government doesn't want to discuss [a transitional government] at all." Brahimi said both sides needed "to go back to their base" for consultations and to think about whether they wanted the process to continue or not. He said no date had been set for a third round of talks. So far, the only agreement in the latest negotiations was to allow civilians to leave the besieged city of Homs and aid to enter. Otherwise the talks, which started six days ago, have failed to narrow the gap between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |