Day 1 of Syrian peace talks have rocky start, but show progress from earlier meetings

Talks between the Syrian government and representatives of rebel factions got off to a rocky start Monday after their first face-to-face meeting in Kazakhstan that marked a major shift in the war's dynamics and confirmed Russia's role as regional heavyweight.

The gathering inKazakhstan'scapital ofAstanais also the start of a new effort to end six years of carnage. Hundreds of thousands have been killed andhalf of Syria's population has been displaced. Millions of refugees have fledto neighbouring countries and Europe, and tens of thousands have immigrated to Canada and the U.S. since the start of the war.

• Syrian rebels urge Russia to help ensureceasefireholds

The talks are focused on shoring up a shaky ceasefire declared Dec. 30, not on reaching a larger political settlement. Syria's bitter divide was on vivid display as the delegates emerged from a closed, hour-long session marked by cold glances and sharp exchanges.

Syria's UN envoy Bashar Ja'afari said the opposition delegation represented "terrorist armed groups," and denounced the opening address delivered by the chief rebel negotiator, calling it "provocative" and "insolent."

The head of the rebel delegation, Mohammad Alloush, had described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government as a "terrorist" entity. He called for armed groups fighting alongside it, including the Lebanese Hezbollah, to be placed on a global list of "terrorist" organizations, according to a video leaked by opposition delegates.

"The presence of foreign militias invited by the regime, most notably the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Iraqi Hezbollah ... contributes to the continuation of bloodshed and obstructs any opportunity for a cease-fire," Alloush said.

Such outfits were no different, he added, than the Islamic State group, which is excluded from the ceasefire.

After an opening ceremony, both sides split and did not meet face-to-face again. The meeting later concluded until Tuesday.

Significant departure from past meetings

Still, it was a significant departure from past meetings, given that Syria's government delegation sat opposite representatives of more than a dozen armed factions it describes as terrorists.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura mediated the talks, which are to be followed by more negotiations in Geneva next month. A year ago, he was shuttling between government and opposition delegations in separate rooms in Geneva, in talks brokered by the U.S. and Russia that led nowhere.

The talks in Astana, a former Soviet republic, reflected the shifting dynamics in Syria since then, with Russia emerging as the main power broker and the U.S. relegated to the role of observer.

The Trump administration is not directly involved because of the "immediate demands of the transition," the State Department said Saturday. The U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, attended Monday's session at the luxury Rixos President Hotel, a Turkish-owned chain.

The two sides were brought to the table by Russia and Iran, which have provided crucial support to Assad, and Turkey, a leading sponsor of the opposition. Turkey, whose president is embroiled in troubles at home, has recently improved ties with Moscow, raising hopes for a breakthrough.

A political figure from the Army of Islam, a Saudi-backed group once singled out by Moscow as a terrorist group, leads the opposition delegation made up heavily of rebel factions, also a first.

But the Syrian parties remain deeply divided on almost everything, including who is to blame for repeated cease-fire violations, and whether it should apply to the al-Qaeda-linked Fatah al-Sham Front, which fights alongside mainstream rebel factions.

'Test intentions' of ceasefire

Ja'afari accused the opposition of "misinterpreting the idea of the cessation of hostilities," and defended a government offensive in the Barada Valley outside Damascus. The fighting there has cut off water to millions of the capital's residents for a month.

The government, which has always portrayed the conflict as a war on terrorism, is hoping to win international support and potentially recruit rebel factions to help it battle extremist groups. Cabinet minister Ali Haidar told The Associated Press in Damascus that the talks would "test intentions" on the ceasefire.

The rebels are bitter over a string of territorial losses, including last month's defeat in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and former commercial centre. Russia, with its massive air power, and Iran, with thousands of Shia militiamen in Syria, turned the war unequivocally in Assad's favour.

With little room to manoeuvre, rebel groups, particularly those beholden to Turkish assistance and those operating in northern Syria, agreed to send representatives to Astana.

Verification mechanisms

The opposition delegation accused the government of undermining the talks to pre-empt any discussion of a political transition.

Issam al-Rais, a representative of a rebel faction in southern Syria, said there would be "no need to go further (to discuss) a political transition" if the ceasefire could not be strengthened. He said opposition factions were discussing mechanisms to verify ceasefire violations with Turkey and Russia.

Yahya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the rebel delegation, said the opposition had a "productive" meeting with Russian and Turkish representatives in Astana, in the presence of de Mistura. He said the talks would conclude Tuesday.

Russia's official news agency Tass said the final document for the talks is to call on Syria's rebels to distance themselves from Fatah al-Sham, an al-Qaeda-linked group in Syria. Tass added the three countries would confirm their determination to jointly fight the Islamic State group and Fatah al-Sham.

The group works closely with other rebels and has called the meeting a "conspiracy" designed to divide the insurgents.