Syrian enemies may discuss prisoner swaps despite talks acrimony

[dipsydoodle]

(Reuters) - Syria's government and opposition, meeting for the first time, vented their mutual hostility on Wednesday but a U.N. mediator said the warring sides may be ready to discuss prisoner swaps, local ceasefires and humanitarian aid.

Russia said the rival sides had promised to start direct talks despite fears that a standoff over President Bashar al-Assad's fate at the meeting in Switzerland would halt the push for a political solution to Syria's civil war, which has killed over 130,000 and made millions homeless.

Even if the sides are willing to talk about limited confidence-building measures, expectations for the peace process remain low, with an overall solution to the three-year war still far off.

Western officials were taken aback by the combative tone of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem at the one-day a U.N. peace conference in Montreux, fearing follow-up negotiations would never get off the ground due to the acrimony.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/22/uk-syria-crisis-idUKBREA0J0SX20140122

[pampango]

1. That would be a good start. Opening access for relief suppies to reach civilians and local

ceasefires would be positive first steps too.

However, international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi signalled that both sides were ready to move beyond rhetoric. "We have had some fairly clear indications that the parties are willing to discuss issues of access to needy people, the liberation of prisoners and local ceasefires," he told a news conference.