Syrian opposition to meet de Mistura over humanitarian demands

Members of the main Syrian opposition group said today they plan to give U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura a "road map" for implementation of their humanitarian demands on Syria that they say must happen before they formally join indirect peace talks with Assad regime delegation in Geneva.

Farah Atassi, a member of the High Negotiations Committee, said the top priority should be to stop the "unprecedented bombardment by the Syrian regime" of opposition-held suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus.

The group was to meet with de Mistura at U.N. offices in Geneva on Monday. But his spokeswoman, Khawla Mattar, said indirect talks between the two sides were unlikely before Tuesday. 

De Mistura rescheduled a planned meeting with the regime’s delegation Monday morning because he wanted to hold an official meeting with the opposition before launching indirect talks.

The opposition delegation said it will meet de Mistura Monday after receiving reassurances from several countries as well as the U.N. envoy regarding sieges on opposition-held areas and bombardment of civilians.

De Mistura has decided that these will be "proximity talks," rather than face-to-face sessions, meaning that he plans to keep the delegations in separate rooms and shuttle between them. He has tamped down expectations by saying he expects the talks to last for six months.