Talks on Syria off to rocky start in Astana

Peace talks aimed at ending the Syria conflict through a gathering between the Syrian government and rebel groups made a rocky start on Jan. 23 in the Kazakh capital of Astana. 

The talks had been billed as the first time armed rebel groups were due to negotiate with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime since the conflict erupted in 2011 and come a month after Syrian forces delivered the rebels a crushing blow by retaking full control of Aleppo, after which a cease-fire brokered by Moscow and Ankara was signed late last month.

Representatives from the two sides sat at the same table as Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov delivered an opening speech.  

Rebel spokesman Yehya al-Aridi told AFP the opposition backed out of the first round of direct talks because of the regime's continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint area near Damascus.

"The first negotiation session will not be face-to-face because the government hasn't committed until now to what it signed in the Dec. 30 [2016] agreement," al-Aridi told AFP, referring to a fragile cease-fire deal brokered by Turkey and Russia.  

Fourteen representatives of armed opposition groups gathered at the Rixos Hotel in Astana for indirect negotiations with delegates representing the Syrian government, which is headed by Syrian U.N. ambassador Bashar al-Jaafari. 

Syrian rebels also vowed to continue fighting if talks with al-Assad's regime in Astana fail.  

"If the negotiations succeed, then we are with the negotiations," rebel spokesman Osama Abu Zeid told AFP on Jan. 23. 

"If they don't succeed, unfortunately we'll have no choice but to continue fighting."

Mohamed Alloush of Jaish al-Islam (Army of Islam) heads the Syrian...