UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad fighting against numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as Islamic State, also known as Daesh, which is banned in a range of countries.
Talks between the Syrian government and representatives of the country's opposition factions began in Geneva on January 29. On February 3, de Mistura decided to postpone the talks as the parties were unable to reach a compromise on a number of issues. The opposition and government delegations blamed each other for the breakdown of the talks.
Two opposition delegations are taking part in the talks. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) was created in Saudi Arabia in December and includes representatives of some groups considered to be terrorist organizations by Syria and Russia. The second delegation was created following talks in Moscow and Cairo.
