On Monday, the United Nations announced that the so-called “Geneva II” conference will take place on January 22 in Geneva, Switzerland, and will resume discussions for an end to the civil war in Syria. “At long last and for the first time, the Syrian government and opposition will meet at the negotiation table rather than the battlefield,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. The United Nations added in an online statement: “The conflict in Syria has raged for too long. It would be unforgivable not to seize this opportunity to bring an end to the suffering and destruction it has caused.”
The conference was delayed in the first place because Syrian opposition groups refused to attend. Some also set conditions for their attendance, such as requesting that Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, resign.
The U.N. Secretary-General has not confirmed who will be attending the conference, but commented: “Given how long it has taken to get to this point,” just a date “is a good sign.”
