The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were struggling to agree on a draft resolution endorsing an international bid to end the five-year civil war in Syria, as ministerial
The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were struggling to agree on a draft resolution endorsing an international bid to end the five-year civil war in Syria, as ministerial talks began in New York on Friday.
Western powers had hoped the council would rubber-stamp a resolution endorsing a two-year road map for talks between Syria’s government and Opposition on a unity government, expected to begin in January, and eventual elections.
Council diplomats said they aimed to clinch an agreement on a text. But a deal remained elusive on Friday morning as talks among the 17 members of the so-called International Syria Support Group got underway at New York’s Palace Hotel.
The 15-nation Security Council was scheduled to meet at 3 pm ET (2000 GMT) to discuss Syria, and it was not yet clear whether they would have a resolution to adopt.
The road map, which also calls for a nationwide ceasefire that would not apply to the Islamic State (ISIS), Nusra Front and some other militant groups, was worked out in two rounds of ministerial talks in Vienna.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin suggested there were significant disagreements on the draft resolution among the Security Council five veto powers — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
“I’m not sure it’s going to happen because there are some unfortunately deliberate, or not deliberate, attempts to undercut the Vienna documents and we don’t want to see that,” he told reporters on Thursday without elaborating.
Diplomats said the main problem with the resolution involved Russian and Iranian concerns about how to refer to a bloc of Opposition groups that would join UN-led peace talks with the Syrian government set to begin in January.
Western officials say a recent meeting in Saudi Arabia of Opposition figures made significant headway in coming up with an Opposition bloc, though Russia and Iran questioned the legitimacy of the Saudi-hosted discussions.
“Do not expect a breakthrough from this round of talks. Many differences remain, including differences on terrorist groups,” an Iranian diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, Syria's Opposition wants apolitical transition without President Bashar al-Assad, said Riad Hijab, who was chosen by Syrian Opposition groups as coordinator of a negotiating body to lead future peace talks.
Mr Hijab said Security Council resolutions and the Geneva roadmap provided for a transition without the President and a transitional governing council with full executive powers. “We are going into negotiations on this principle, we are not entering talks. There will be noconcession,” he said.
