Syria conflict: Syrian Opposition group to meet UN envoy

The main Syrian opposition group has arrived in Geneva, after withdrawing their threat to boycott the UN-sponsored peace talks, the BBC reports.

The spokesman of a group said they stood by their demand for an end to air strikes and blockades before they will negotiate with the Syrian government.

They are to meet UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on Sunday.

More than 250,000 people have died and 11 million have fled their homes in almost five years of war in Syria.

The Saudi-backed opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) finally agreed late on Friday night that they would come to the talks in Geneva – hours after the Syrian government delegation had already arrived and held preliminary talks with Mr Mistura.

“We’re always optimistic but the problem is we’re facing a dictatorship there in Syria. Really, if he’s willing to solve these problems, we wouldn’t have seen these crimes in Syria, these massacres,” he told reporters.

But Riad Hijab, the head of the HNC who is not in Geneva, warned in an online post that the delegation’s presence “will not be justified” if the Syrian government continues to “commit these crimes”.

The immediate priorities of the talks are:

a broad ceasefire

humanitarian aid deliveries

halting the threat posed by IS

But the ultimate aim is a peace settlement that includes a transitional period ending with elections, in line with a UN Security Council resolution approved last month.