Roundup: UN envoy says intra-Syrian peace talks "officially" start after meeting opposition

United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Monday announced here the "official" beginning of the Geneva Intra-Syrian talks after formally meeting with the opposition delegation for the first time.

De Mistura told reporters at a press conference after the meeting with the opposition Monday evening that the humanitarian issues the opposition brought up during the meeting was also "the voice of the Syrian people" and that voice must be heard during the talks.

"We will not just only have a conference in Geneva, but also provide something that the Syrian people can see and touch," he said, adding the Syrian conflict was already in its sixth year, the Syrian people had suffered more than enough and something different from the previous talks must be done.

He added he would meet with Syrian government representatives on Tuesday and the delegations would go deeper into the issues of common concern later on, particularly a "serious discussion of ceasefire."

"The first immediate objective is to make sure the talks continue and that everyone is on board," De Mistura stressed.

After meeting with the UN envoy, a Syrian opposition delegation spokesman said they had received a "positive response" during their first formal talks.

Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), told reporters that the main focus of their first meeting was humanitarian issues.

"We are waiting for more messages from the UN Syrian Envoy after he meets the Syrian delegation on Tuesday," he said, adding it was important the international community was serious about implementing the UN security resolutions, as it was important for them to see an end to their people's suffering.

The UN Special Envoy met with the representatives of the opposition team Monday afternoon at the UN headquarters in Geneva, while a planned meeting with the government delegation Monday morning has been rescheduled in order to meet the opposition first.

De Mistura met with the Syrian government delegation on Jan. 29, thus kicking off the new round of UN-brokered peace talks to end the country's five-year-old war.

The HNC decided to participate in the talks at the very last minute after receiving alleged assurances from the UN and the United States, despite the HNC's former announcement to boycott the talks.

Two previous rounds of talks fell short of helping divergent factions settle on a lasting agreement to bring peace to the country whose war is pitching Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against anti-government forces, with terrorist factions such as the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Nusra also in the mix.

One issue which has delayed efforts has been who to invite to talks, which not only aim to discuss governance, constitutional change and the holding of elections, but also address the implementation of a lasting ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and the possibility of stopping the threat of IS.

Estimates reveal that 250,000 Syrian people have died in the five years since the war started and that over four million people have fled the Middle Eastern country as a result of protracted violence. Endit