On 6 January, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent out the invitations for the Geneva II conference.

According to his spokesperson, the UN has faithfully adhered to the list drawn up by Washington and Moscow, during the 20 December summit. Hence, Iran will be left out. Indeed, from the U.S. perspective, Tehran did not endorse the Geneva 1 report and, to boot, it supports Hezbollah combatants on the ground.

A preparatory meeting, on January 13th, could possibly go back on this decision. Above all, it should clarify the situation regarding the composition of the ’’Syrian opposition’’ delegation.

The conference is slated to begin on January 22nd in Geneva, with the participation of delegations from 30 states and intergovernmental organizations. It should then continue in a small group on January 24th.

Officially, the goal of the conference is peace in Syria. However, the states and international organizations that are making the trip to Geneva will essentially be queuing up for the reconstruction contracts.

Translation
Alizée Ville