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WORLD NEWS Friday 15 december 2017

UN envoy says ‘opportunity missed’ as Syria talks wrap up

talks in Switzerland. The U.N. and elections.
envoy said he was “disap- “Despite a lot of effort by
pointed,” after going in my whole team, day and
with ambitions to get the night with all sorts of cre-
two sides to talk to each ative formula, we did not
other. have real negotiations,” he
De Mistura also offered said in frustration.
some of his harshest criti- “It is a big missed opportu-
cism yet of the Syrian gov- nity, a golden opportunity
ernment delegation, ac- missed at the end of this
cusing it of setting precon- year,” he said.
ditions that he had warned However, de Mistura, who
against, and said its team has mediated the talks
refused to discuss anything since early 2016, said he
other than “terrorism” — a was still planning to recon-
term the government uses vene the two sides next
to refer to all armed op- month — but will need to
position against President consult with U.N. Secretary-
Bashar Assad. General Antonio Guterres
The Damascus delegation first. Asked whether there
also insisted the opposi- was any point in returning
tion team fell short of being to Geneva, de Mistura said
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, left, attends a round of negotiations with the del- an adequate representa- the alternative would be
egation of the Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) during the Intra Syria talks, at the European tive of all of the opposition abandoning Syria and a re-
headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Dec. 14. 2017. in Syria — a reference to turn to war.
(Xu Jinquan/Pool Photo via AP) groups that Assad’s gov- “Our motto is never give
By JAMEY KEATEN Thursday after two fruitless en-year war. ernment has tolerated and up,” he said.
ZEINA KARAM weeks — a “golden oppor- Staffan de Mistura’s dire as- that have not called for his The head of Syria’s gov-
Associated Press tunity missed” — and ac- sessment — and a rare ad- ouster. ernment team in Geneva,
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. knowledged that he needs mission of failure — came De Mistura said the op- Bashar Ja’afari, extin-
envoy for Syria said the lat- to come up with new ideas at the end of the eighth position was engaged on guished any hopes of a last-
est round of Geneva talks to make headway toward round of the largely inef- other subjects, such as gov- minute breakthrough when
ended without progress on ending Syria’s nearly sev- fective, U.N.-sponsored ernance, the constitution he emerged earlier.q
Hamas marks 30th anniversary at low point of Gaza rule

By FARES AKRAM of rage, intifada and revo- to set up an Islamic state as its capital, including the of thousands of Hamas
Associated Press lution,” Haniyeh told the between the Jordan River Israeli-annexed east, which supporters, many waving
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) large crowd that filled a and the Mediterranean, is home to key Muslim, Jew- the movement’s green flag
— Hamas marked the 30th sprawling lot known as al- which includes Israel. ish and Christian shrines. or sporting Hamas head-
anniversary of its founding Katiba Square. Israel claims all of Jerusalem Thursday’s rally drew tens bands.
with a mass rally of many Trump’s decision last week
thousands of supporters has triggered Palestinian
Thursday, staging a show protests in the West Bank
of strength at a low point in and Gaza, including some
the Islamic militant group’s that escalated into deadly
history. clashes with Israeli troops,
Hamas leader Ismail Hani- but it remains unclear
yeh said in a combative whether widespread Pales-
speech that the U.S. and tinian anger at the U.S. will
Israel have found them- lead to a full-fledged upris-
selves isolated following ing.
President Donald Trump’s Hamas’ rival, the Fatah
recognition of Jerusalem movement of West Bank-
as Israel’s capital. Hamas based Palestinian President
has called for a new Pales- Mahmoud Abbas, seeks to
tinian uprising against Israel establish a Palestinian state
in response to that recogni- in lands Israel captured in
tion. 1967, with east Jerusalem
“We salute the beginning as a capital. Hamas wants