New Tips And Triks For You

GENEVA - The United Nations mediator for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, wrapped up the second round of peace talks here on Saturday without breaking a longstanding deadlock or setting a date for a third round, and urged the parties to think seriously about their commitment to the negotiations.

Mr. Brahimi said the talks had broken down primarily because the Syrian government balked at his suggestion that the negotiators discuss both sides' top demands in the first two days of negotiations, rather than spending days up front on the government's priorities.

"I am very, very sorry, and I apologize to the Syrian people," Mr. Brahimi, an Algerian diplomat who has spent decades negotiating thorny conflicts, said after a last-ditch 45-minute meeting with the two sides ended in disagreement. "I apologize to them that on these two rounds we haven't helped them very much."

The dispiriting finish called into question the future of the talks. Two weeklong rounds have produced no actual negotiations on resolving a conflict that has killed more than 135,000 people and driven 9.5 million from their homes, even though the talks are sponsored by Russia and the United States and backed by dozens of other countries. The meetings have instead focused on what should be discussed and how the talks should be conducted.

"It's not good for Syria that we come back for another round and fall in the same trap that we have been struggling with this week and most of the first round," Mr. Brahimi said. "So I think it is better that every side goes back and reflect and take their responsibility: Do they want this process to take place or not? I will do the same."

He said he would report to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, and push for a meeting with Mr. Ban, Secretary of State John Kerry and the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov. Some Western diplomats have suggested that Mr. Brahimi, 80, might be worried about harming his legacy by presiding over empty talks, and so might recommend ending them. But others pointed out that he is famous for his patience.

Both the government and the opposition said they would return if another round were called.

Western officials were quick to call for new pressure on the Syrian government. Minutes after Mr. Brahimi spoke, the British foreign secretary, William Hague, wrote in a Twitter message that the United Nations Security Council "must now act to address the humanitarian crisis urgently." But Russia, the Syrian government's most powerful backer, sees Western attempts to require access for aid workers as a pretext for military action, and has blocked previous Security Council measures on Syria.

Mr. Brahimi said the two sides had agreed that a third round of talks would address both the opposition's top-priority issue (political transition) and the government's (the ending of terrorism, which it says includes all armed opposition). But then, he said, the government rejected his proposal that the negotiators spend the first day on terrorism and the second on transition.

Bashar al-Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the United Nations in New York and the government's lead negotiator, said that it would be impossible to resolve the issue of terrorism in one day, and that the government wanted to reach "a common vision" on the subject before moving on to others.

But Mr. Brahimi said he had made it "very clear" that both topics would take far more than one day, and that his aim was simply to ensure that the two sides at least began to discuss each other's demands. He said he had told government negotiators that this would reassure the opposition, which is "very suspicious" of the government and believes it does not want to discuss a transition at all.

"I hope that this time of reflection will lead the government side in particular to reassure the other side that when they speak of implementing the Geneva Communiqué," they mean that "the main objective" is a transitional governing body with full executive powers, Mr. Brahimi said, referring to the July 2012 document that is the basis of the talks.

"Ending violence, combating terrorism is extremely important, indispensable," he said. "But I think that every side has to be convinced that, yes, we are going to implement all the elements in the communiqué."

Each side blamed the other and its international backers for the lack of progress. "We are here to negotiate," said Louay Safi, a spokesman for the opposition. "We have been disappointed completely, not only by the regime."

Russian officials "have not prevailed over the regime that wants to stall," Mr. Safi said, adding that Russia "continues to supply" the weapons that the government is using to bombard rebel-held towns and neighborhoods.

Mr. Jaafari, the government negotiator, said that recent comments by President Obama and members of his administration, who mentioned the possibility of greater efforts to help the opposition, meant American officials were "not committed" to the success of talks.

The Syrian government has long said that the first step toward ending the conflict must be the cessation of support for insurgent groups by the United States and allies including Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Jaafari said the government recognized that the opposition delegation could not single-handedly stop terrorism in Syria, because it does not control many of the insurgent groups. But, he added, officials want to hear that the opposition is committed to stopping it.

The opposition has condemned violence against civilians and pointed to its affiliated fighters' recent battles against jihadist groups. But the crux of the dispute is the definition of terrorism. While the government's definition is broad, opponents say many insurgents are motivated by political demands and self-defense.

"That is a subject for negotiations," said a pro-government analyst based in Damascus, who spoke anonymously in order to be more open.

Both sides have legitimate points, the analyst said: The government is correct that a smooth political transition cannot occur amid continuing violence, and the opposition is correct that the violence cannot end unless political demands are addressed. Because of this, he said, speaking about both terrorism and transition makes sense.

But he added that the government delegation would have a hard time persuading its base, including the powerful security services and military, to talk about dismantling or reshaping the government of President Bashar al-Assad when they believe they are gaining on the ground.

Opposition negotiators said that while they were empowered to negotiate without micromanagement, the government delegates were closely monitored from Damascus and would call officials there to discuss the smallest of points before responding.

Members of the opposition delegation said it was no surprise that the government delegation had not budged, because, in their view, the government is so rigid that it cannot reform itself without disintegrating. That, they say, is why Mr. Assad did not compromise when protests began, largely peacefully, in early 2011, responding instead with force.

They said they hoped the talks in Geneva had highlighted the government's inflexibility and might prompt a stronger international response - perhaps pressure from Russia, increased military aid for the opposition, Security Council resolutions, or even a no-fly zone to stop government airstrikes.

As the delegates prepared to leave on Saturday, Mr. Jaafari, the government negotiator, turned prickly when asked by a reporter what would entice Mr. Assad's team back to the table.

"Your nice face," he shot back.