SYRIAN peace talks meant to begin this week were stalled yesterday partly over the question of who would represent the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad.

United States (U.S.) Secretary of State, John Kerry, said he expected clarity within a day or two, and expressed support for the United Nations envoy who has the tricky task of issuing invitations for the first talks in two years to end the five-year-old civil war.

The talks were meant to begin yesterday in Geneva, but have been held up by international disagreement over who should be invited from the opposition. Rebels also want an end to air strikes and government sieges of territory they hold, and the release of detainees.

Diplomacy has so far yielded no progress toward ending or even curbing Syria’s civil war, which has killed more than 250,000 people and driven more than 10 million from their homes.