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Syria are to begin Friday.
But two days before the talks, it is unclear who
will attend -- or even if the U. N. special envoy to
Syria will be able to move the needle on any of
the thorny issues on the agenda to help end the
war that has killed 250,000 people in the last five
years.
In the chaotic run-up to the talks, the warring
sides and their international backers have
bickered over who should be present and what
should be discussed, with some threatening to
boycott if their conditions are not met.
The drama continued Wednesday with a major
opposition bloc saying it would only join the talks
if progress is made toward lifting sieges on
blockaded towns in Syria and implementing U. N.
Security Council resolutions on other
humanitarian issues. The Saudi-backed bloc
known as the Higher Negotiating Committee was
meeting to make a final decision on whether to
go to Geneva.
The U. S. on Wednesday called on the