The UN-brokered Syrian peace talks are failing due to external interference and can only be rescued by refocusing on the issue of political transition, a coalition of 160 Syrian civil society groups has said in an open letter to the UN’s special envoy. The letter to Staffan de Mistura reveals a deep frustration that the UN has allowed the peace process to be hijacked by regional players with their own agendas. “The time consumed on discussions around process and representation, at the expense of a credible and realistic political deal for transition towards democracy, is not only wasting precious time but it is also undermining the international community’s efforts to fight terrorism in Syria,” the letter says. De Mistura has led seven rounds of discussions in Geneva, but in recent months they have become bogged down by attempts by Turkey, Russia, Iran and the Gulf States to shape the process. The most recent round of talks made virtually no progress.

The letter is understood to be specially aimed at Russian interference. Many civil society groups feel that the UN negotiating team has succumbed to the Russian agenda because it views the Russians as the dominant political and military force on the ground. De Mistura’s critics claim he has been too willing to adjust the process to suit the demands of external actors, leaving central issues such as humanitarian protection, detainee releases and political transition on the back burner.(Theguardian)…[+]