Syria brokering local cease-fires as U.S.-backed talks falter
BEIRUT — As U.S.-backed peace talks crumble, the Syrian government has forged ahead with brokering small-scale cease-fires in the suburbs of the capital in an attempt to show that it is capable of reconciliation without outside interference.
In the latest instance, the government ferried reporters to the Damascus suburb of Babila this week to photograph rebels relaxing with government soldiers on the first day of a truce in the devastated neighborhood.
The local agreements are at the center of President Bashar al-Assad’s “national reconciliation” efforts and come as his government is accused of derailing talks between the two sides in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Although the fine print differs, for the most part the agreements allow the areas to stay in rebel hands and for desperately needed food supplies to enter, as long as heavy weaponry is given up and rebels agree to stop attacks. In some areas, foreign fighters have been asked to leave.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/syria-brokering-local-cease-fires-as-us-backed-talks-falter/2014/02/20/1dc31738-9a50-11e3-80ac-63a8ba7f7942_story.html