"And I have found both freedom and safety in my madness, the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us. But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail is safe from another thief. "

Khalil Gibran (How I Became a Madman)

Lübnan Marunîleri / Yasin Atlıoğlu

NEWS AND ARTICLES / HABERLER VE MAKALELER

Friday, March 24, 2017

UN-Backed Syria Peace Talks to Restart in Geneva- Naharnet

Syrian rivals were to resume UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva on Thursday, with escalating violence and deadlock on key issues dimming hopes of a breakthrough. 
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura tried to strike an optimistic note when the previous round ended last month.
He insisted government and rebel negotiators had agreed on a "clear agenda" and that "everything is ready" for the talks to move forward. 
On the agenda for this round are issues of governance -- a political transition, the constitution and elections, as well as counter-terrorism at the request of Damascus.
But an already-fragile ceasefire has deteriorated further in recent days after rebels and allied jihadists launched two surprise offensives on government positions in Damascus and central Hama province.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's air force has responded with raids on rebel targets, further threatening negotiations which have yielded little in four previous rounds.
The UN talks aim to find a solution to end a six-year conflict that has killed more than 320,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with protests against Assad's regime.