Nasr al-Hariri, head of the Syrian opposition's delegation at the 8th round of UN-backed negotiations in Geneva.

7 rounds of talks seeking an end to the Syrian civil war have taken place since 2011, but no breakthrough has occurred. The main sticking point has been the future of President Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian opposition and some western powers have insisted that Assad step down.

Prior to the latest negotiations, a UN representative said the battle against the Islamic State group in Syria is ending and it’s time to begin a political transition. The UN Security Council called on the Syrian government and the opposition to participate in the talks without any preconditions.

US President Donald Trump underlined the importance of the talks, saying they are the only solution to the current crisis. He added that the US will continue to cooperate with Russia to prevent any further fighting in Syria.

Though opposition factions formed a united group to attend the Geneva talks, the Syrian government unexpectedly canceled its participation in response to a demand for the departure of President al-Assad. Syria’s Nation newspaper on Wednesday reported that the Syrian government has agreed to return to the negotiating table but with certain conditions. It now refuses direct talks with the opposition and insists that negotiations center on elections and a new constitution.

Meanwhile, the opposition says they are ready for direct talks but their ultimate goal is the departure of President al-Assad before the political transition period. Nasr al-Hariri, chief representative of the opposition at the Geneva talks said that all issues must be put on the table including the future of President al-Assad. If the Geneva talks are only meetings between parties involved with the mediators, it will be very difficult to break the current deadlock.