Today, a series of peace talks organized by the UN, involving Syrian government officials and rebel group representatives. are set to begin in Geneva. Though it’s still unclear whether or not the two sides will actually meet face to face, UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi told the BBC that the ultimate goal is to end the country’s prolonged civil war: “What we will try to do is talk about how to end this bloody war.” Since fighting began in 2011, more than 100,000 people in the country have been killed, and millions have been displaced. But if recent meetings between world leaders in Switzerland are an indication, negotiations could be difficult. Despite Secretary of State John Kerry saying that there was “no way possible in the imagination” that sitting President Bashar Assad could remain in leadership, the Syrian Information Minister said there will be “no transfer of power.” This follows a call from al-Qaeda for all opposing rebel groups in the country, many of whom are associated with Islamic causes, to ban together with “every free person in Syria seeking to overthrow Assad” …
