Syrian govt team quits Geneva talks over opposition’s rejection of Assad role

Syria’s top government negotiator said on Friday his team was quitting UN-led peace talks in Geneva and might not return next week. “As long as the other side sticks to the language of Riyadh 2… there will be no progress,” Bashar al-Ja’afari said after a morning of talks. In a communique issued at the end of last month’s round of talks in the Saudi capital, the opposition reiterated its position that President Bashar Assad can have no role in a political transition. Ja’afari said the opposition statement was a kind of “mine” on the road to Geneva. Asked whether the government delegation would return to Geneva next week, Ja’afari said “Damascus will decide.”