PHOTO: UN envoy Staffan de Mistura

LATEST

UPDATE 1830 GMT: The lead negotiator of the opposition-rebel bloc has called for renewed attacks on regime forces.

Mohammed Alloush, a senior official in the rebel faction Jaish al-Islam, wrote on Twitter, “Don’t trust the regime and don’t wait for their pity.”

He then quoted from Qur’an, “Strike them at their necks. Strike them everywhere.”

Another opposition officials said Alloush’s statement did not represent the position of the High Negotiations Committee.

Meanwhile, Alloush responded to criticism of the HNC by another leading rebel faction, Ahrar al-Sham.

Ahrar al-Sham said on Saturday that the HNC had been weak in its approach to the negotiations and called on it to leave the talks. Alloush replied:

You are present in a room where you have a representative. And you’re being informed of every details, along with the rest of the factions, and being consulted on those points.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Doubts over Syria’s political talks grew on Saturday, following the Assad Government’s continued rejection of any discussion of President Assad’s future.

The Assad regime’s delegation returned to discussions with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva on Friday. However, after a two-hour meeting, the head of the delegation, Syria’s UN Ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari, again dismissed any negotiation of a transitional governing authority. Instead, he put the onus on de Mistura to work with the regime’s amendments to the envoy’s text: “We will once again discuss our proposal the next time we will meet on Monday.”

In a further sign of the stalemate, De Mistura cancelled his scheduled press briefing.

The transitional governing authority has been the focus of international proposals since June 2012; however, Assad said last month that he will not consider it and instead called for pursuit of a “national unity government” which he will continue to lead. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi reiterated on Friday that there will be no discussion of the President’s future.

The opposition-rebel High Negotiations Committee, which met de Mistura on Wednesday and Thursday, said that it will work with regime members in a transition. However, these cannot include Assad or any “criminals” responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands in the five-year conflict.

The HNC criticized the regime for the “strong message that it doesn’t want a political solution, but a military solution that will bring destruction to the whole country”.

On Saturday, the leading rebel faction Ahrar al-Sham called on the HNC to leave the talks:

There is a clear division between the work of the [HNC] and the reality on the ground, for while Russia realises field gains for the benefit of the regime, giving it political momentum, and while the regime and Iran breach the truce….We see insistence from the [HNC] on pursuing the negotiations.

Ahrar al-Sham participated in talks in Saudi Arabia in December to form an opposition-rebel bloc. However, unlike fellow rebels Jaish al-Islam and Free Syrian Army groups, it did not sign the document establishing the HNC.

On Saturday, Ahrar al-Sham said the HNC’s performance had been “weak and stumbling”, opening a “gulf” between it and “the revolutionary street with all its military and civilian elements”.

UN Official Visits Besieged Darayya — But No Aid

The head of the UN envoy’s office in Damascus has visited the besieged town of Darayya, southwest of Damascus.

Khawala Matter told women and children, many of whom have been protesting their lack of food and medicine:

We listen to your news. No one has forgotten you. your suffering is reaching us. We will alleviate your pain by God’s will.

The Syrian military has maintained a siege since late 2012 and tightened it this winter by cutting a road to nearby Moadamiya, also under threat of starvation.

Despite a February 27 cessation of hostilities, the Assad regime has not allowed aid agencies into the town. The head of UN aid operations, Stephen O’Brien, told the Security Council earlier this month of the threat to thousands of civilians.

See Syria Feature: Appeal by Women of Besieged Darayya — “There is No Food”

Mattar was not accompanied by any aid convoy. She briefly met the Local Council and rebel representatives, saying, “I would like to apologize in the name of the entire UN Syria team” for the humanitarian crisis.

However, the apology was not enough for some of those in Darayya. A Free Syrian Army spokesman tweeted:

Video: Syrian Military Advance v. ISIS in Eastern Qalamoun

Footage of the Syrian military’s capture of the al-Badia cement plant in the eastern Qalamoun region, northeast of Damascus:

Both the Syrian army and rebels are trying to push back the Islamic State in the area. The regime’s success has checked ISIS attacks on the military airport near the desert city of Dumayr.

SNHR: 3 Children Killed in Aleppo by Rebel Shelling

The Syrian Network for Human Rights reports that three children were killed in Aleppo city on Sunday morning by rebel shelling.

The SNHR said the artillery was fired from the Bani Zaid neighborhood onto al-Nile Street.

Syrian State news agency SANA claimed seven civilians died on Saturday from rebel shelling and gunfire.