PHOTO: US Secretary of State John Kerry (Reuters)


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UPDATE 1445 GMT: UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has told journalists that he hopes opposition-regime talks will begin on Friday, with invitations sent tomorrow.

De Mistura said he wants to ensure “when and if we start, we start on the right foot. It will be uphill anyway.”

The envoy would not say which opposition groups — and how many — have been invited, saying that he wanted the process to be “as inclusive as possible”:

This will be part of the creativity of proximity talks. There will be a lot of shuffling between groups, because there are a lot of civil society and women’s groups that deserve to be heard.


UPDATE 1025 GMT: Iran has again objected to the opposition-rebel negotiating team named last month at a conference in Saudi Arabia.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said “criminal terrorists” will not be allowed to “enter Syria’s political structure in disguise” with a “new mask”.

Abdollahian said the Saudi support of the 33-member opposition-rebel delegation is “an unconstructive approach”.


UPDATE 0930 GMT: US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he hopes for “clarity” within 24 to 48 hours on opposition-regime talks.

The discussions were supposed to have started today in Geneva, but have foundered over conditions set by both the Assad regime and the opposition and over Russia’s objections to the opposition-rebel negotiating team.

During a visit to Laos, Kerry said he agreed with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura that invitations for the talks should not be sent out until “you have pieces lined up”:

They have to be serious. If they are not serious, war will continue. Up to them — you can lead a horse to water; you can’t make it drink.

We have created a framework; the Syrians have the ability to decide the future of Syria.

“We will have to see what decision Staffan makes as to exactly how he is going to begin; but we don’t want to decide and have it crumble on day one. It’s worth taking a day or two, or three, or whatever.

Amid claims that he issued an ultimatum to the opposition-rebel team, Kerry rejected comments from the team’s coordinator, former Prime Minister Riad Hijab, about demands from Washington:

I don’t know where this is coming from. Maybe it’s a pressure thing or an internal political thing, but that is not the situation.

They are the negotiators; so they will decide the future. What I did tell them is that it’s by mutual consent. You have a veto, so does he [President Assad], so you are going to have to decide how to move forward here.

“The position of the United States is and hasn’t changed, that we are still supporting the opposition politically, financially and militarily,” he added.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: A “high-level source in the Syrian opposition” has accused US Secretary of State John Kerry of giving the opposition-rebel bloc an ultimatum: enter negotiations with the Assad regime or face a cut-off of support.

According to the London-based al-Araby, Kerry delivered the message in a meeting with the coordinator of the opposition-rebel team, former Prime Minister Riad Hijab, in Riyadh on Saturday.

The source said the discussion was “catastrophic and very bad”, as “Kerry carried the Russian and Iranian messages” about the international gathering planned for Geneva. He claimed the Secretary of State distanced himself from pressure on the Assad regime, saying, that “his country will not interfere in Syria, but will only fight terrorism and nothing else”.

According to the report, Kerry stepped away from the explicit requirement that President Assad must leave power, replacing the call for a “transitional governing authority” — maintained by the UN and the international community since 2012 — with the objective of a “national unity government”.

The opposition-rebel bloc, named in Saudi Arabia last week, has said that it will not begin talks until there are halts to Russian and regime bombing, release of detainees from regime prisons, and access to humanitarian aid for besieged areas.

The source said Kerry asserted that the conditions did not have to be fulfilled, but should be part of the Geneva discussions.

In addition, Kerry allegedly supported modification of the opposition-rebel delegation by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura.

Russia has objected to the 33-member opposition-rebel team, putting up an alternative list of 15 names including politicians close to Moscow and Kurdish representatives. Three Western diplomats said last week that Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had reached a compromise that invitations should be sent to both groups.

A former President of the Syrian National Coalition and member of the opposition-rebel team advised caution over the report, as he said a final decision on the talks would be made on Tuesday:

Meanwhile, the Assad regime cast further doubt over the talks by indicating that it will make no concessions and repeating its objections to the opposition-rebel team.

“We are not going to give today what we did not give over the past five years,” said senior Baath Party official Hilal al-Hilal late Saturday. “This year will be the year of victory for Syria because of the heroic acts and sacrifices by its army and people.”

Regime newspaper Tishrin said in an editorial on Sunday that the Geneva talks should not include “representatives for the agendas terrorist-supporting countries that seek a seat for terrorism at the dialogue table”.

The reference was to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, all of whom back the opposition-rebel bloc.


Video: At Least 16 Killed in Bombing in Opposition-Held Aleppo

Aftermath of a bomb, believed to be the responsibility of the Islamic State, in the Sukkari section of opposition-held Aleppo city:

The bomb targeted a headquarters of the rebel faction Ahrar al-Sham. The opposition SMART news agency says at least 16 people, including civilians, were killed.


Video: Regime Troops Thank Putin for Advance in Latakia Province

In a photo-opportunity for Russian State TV, regime troops celebrate the capture of Salma in Latakia Province earlier this month and express gratitude to Russian President Vladmir Putin: “Russian pilots saved the lives of hundreds of our fighters….Thanks to Putin.”

The footage is also notable for the blatant distortion by Russian State broadcasters that Salma was freed from “ISIS and al-Nusra”.

The Islamic State is not present in northern Latakia Province. Jabhat al-Nusra is involved in the fight, but as one of a number of factions including Ahrar al-Sham and the Free Syrian Army.

Salma, considered a gateway to neighboring Hama Province, was recaptured by regime forces on January 13. Rebels had held it since 2012.


“Dozens Killed and Wounded” by Russian Missile on Salqin in Idlib Province

The opposition Local Coordination Committees report dozens of casualties from a Russian missile on Salqin in Idlib Province on Sunday.

SALQIN ATTACK 24-01-16

Footage of the treatment of victims:


4 Killed, 9 Wounded by Islamic State Suicide Attack in Qamishli

Activists report that four people were killed and nine wounded in an Islamic State suicide attack in Qamishli in northeast Syria on Sunday.

The opposition site Orient News claims that the bombing, which badly damaged a bakery, killed a Russian soldier.

QAMISHLI BOMB 24-01-16

The bombing came as the Islamic State battles regime forces in nearby Deir ez-Zor city, and as Russian forces have reportedly moved into an airbase near the city.


Activists: 160 Civilians Killed by Russian Bombing of Deir ez-Zor Over Weekend

Activists claim that Russian airstrikes killed about 160 civilians in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria over the weekend.

The Deir ez-Zor 24 media network said the dead included 35 children and 9 women. They claimed that the large majority of the victims were civilians.

Russia is supporting the Syrian military, which is facing attacks from the Islamic State inside Deir ez-Zor city. However, Deir ez-Zor 24 maintained that the Russian attacks “did not…affect ISIS on the ground”.

The activists said the mass killings included the deaths of more than 90 civilians in the town of Khasham and 55 in the town of al-Tabyiya on Saturday.

The opposition Local Coordination Committees documented hundreds of people slain across Syria between Friday and Sunday, including almost 200 in Deir ez-Zor.

See also Syria Feature: 142 Killed on Friday Amid Russian and US Airstrikes

The LCC reported confirmation of 104 deaths on Sunday, with 62 in Deir ez-Zor.