Russia, U.S. Move Center Stage at Syria Talks

The U.N.'s mediator on the Syria conflict met high-level Russian and US diplomats in Geneva on Thursday in hope of breathing new life into the flagging peace talks.

Lakhdar Brahimi met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov and U.S. Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in an attempt to unblock the process.

Both the U.S. and Russian diplomats looked tense as they arrived at the U.N. Thursday afternoon, although Sherman mustered a short wave to the sea of waiting cameras.

After three days spent trading blame for the violence wracking Syria, representatives of President Bashar Assad's regime and the opposition National Coalition had no scheduled meetings in Geneva Thursday.

"The presence now of the United States and Russia comes at the right time," opposition chief negotiator Hadi Bahra told AFP, insisting they needed to "pressure the regime to be more serious" if they wanted it to continue.

The talks that began on January 22 were initiated by Washington, which backs the opposition, and Moscow, a key ally of Syria.

With the process at an apparent standstill Russia seemed prepared to play a greater role, and was expected to put more pressure on the regime to move things forward.

Russia -- which has rejected a Security Council resolution that would allow the delivery of food and aid to besieged Homs and other cities -- on Wednesday proposed a counteroffer that not include the threat of sanctions on Damascus.

Gatilov met Wednesday in Geneva with the regime delegation chief, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, and the opposition said it might meet the Russian diplomat Thursday.

Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, told AFP late Wednesday the Russians "intend to push these negotiations and make them succeed".

"This was the main topic in the long meeting between Mr. Muallem and Mr. Gatilov," he said, stressing though that "We believe all the pressure should be put on the other side."

Opposition spokesman Louay Safi meanwhile told reporters that Washington and Moscow "should and can play a constructive role in pushing the negotiations forward."

If that fails though, he insisted Brahimi would have to report to the Security Council that the talks have broken down.

"We don't know whether there will be a third round at this point," he said.

In a bid to get the ball rolling, Russia has also proposed a collective meeting with the U.N., Washington, Moscow and the Syrian foes.

Washington and the Syrian opposition have said they could support such a move, while the regime has voiced skepticism.

The so-called Geneva II negotiations have so far done nothing to end the nearly three-year civil war which has claimed more than 136,000 lives and forced millions from their homes.

When the talks first began last month, Washington and especially Moscow remained on the sidelines, allowing the U.N. and Brahimi to run the show.

But while the first round was seen as a relative success for getting the sides to meet face-to-face, the current round, which began Monday and is expected to last into Saturday, has achieved little beyond a restating of positions.

In Switzerland, the opposition National Coalition laid out a transition plan, including evicting foreign fighters and a process towards elections.

But the government refused to discuss it, insisting the battle against what it calls rebel "terrorism" had to be completely resolved before politics could be discussed.