Delegates from the Syrian regime and the opposition began Thursday a fourth day of direct talks in Geneva, with a UN proposal for a transitional government high on the agenda, dpa reported. UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who is mediating the talks in Switzerland, has said that the "ice is breaking slowly," despite the fact that the gap between the two sides remains "quite large." Wednesday's joint session saw the sides start talks on a transitional governing body, as envisaged by sponsoring powers the United States and Russia. Under the so-called Geneva I framework, which is backed by a 2013 UN Security Council resolution, the transitional body would include members of al-Assad's regime, the opposition and independent figures, and would have full executive powers. The current round of discussions is due to end on Friday and will probably resume next week, Brahimi has said.
