In Geneva, U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing war in Syria have collapsed. U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura pinned the blame largely on the Syrian government, which refused to discuss constitutional changes or presidential elections. This is now the eighth round of U.N.-sponsored peace talks on the Syrian conflict. In the wake of the talks’ collapse, Syrian opposition chief negotiator Nasr al-Hariri appealed to the international community.
Nasr al-Hariri: “The international community needs a new approach; otherwise, this stalemate will continue, and, unfortunately, it will be at the expense of the Syrians, inside and outside the country.”