PHOTOS: Syrian Peace Talks begin in Switzerland, January 22, 2014
January 22, 2014
Syrian pro government supporters hold pictures of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad as they demonstrate during the so-called Geneva II peace talks on January 22, 2014 in Montreux. Representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a deeply divided opposition, world powers and regional bodies started a long-delayed peace conference aimed at bringing an end to a nearly three-year civil war. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images) ( 526287149 )
Syrian refugees watch the news of the peace talks in Switzerland, inside a makeshift tent home in an unofficial refugee camp on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Peace talks intended to carve a path out of Syria's civil war got off to a rocky start Wednesday as a bitter clash over President Bashar Assad's future threatened to collapse the negotiations even before they really begin. Later this week in Geneva, Syria's warring sides will sit down for their first face-to-face meeting since the conflict erupted. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon) ( Mideast Jordan Syrian Peace Talks )
A journalist tries to ask a question to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon (C) as his spokesman Martin Nesirky (R) gestures during a press conference closing the so-called Geneva II peace talks dedicated to the ongoing conflict in Syria, on January 22, 2014, in Montreux. UN leader told Syria's warring sides that the time had come for negotiations to end the country's bloodshed, in closing remarks at a peace conference in Switzerland. UN-Arab League envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi is seen on left. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images) ( 526298419 )
Syrian refugees pose for a photo as flashing v-signs at an unofficial refugee camp on the outskirts of Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Peace talks intended to carve a path out of Syria's civil war got off to a rocky start Wednesday as a bitter clash over President Bashar Assad's future threatened to collapse the negotiations even before they really begin. Later this week in Geneva, Syria's warring sides will sit down for their first face-to-face meeting since the conflict erupted. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon) ( Mideast Jordan Syrian Peace Talks )
Non-profit activist website AVAAZ members take part in a street performance during a protest action calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the war in Syria, in Montreux, on January 22, 2014, where the so-called Geneva II peace talks are taking place. The Syrian opposition leader today called on President Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to a transitional government, as UN-led peace talks opened in Switzerland. (PHILIPPE DESMAZES/AFP/Getty Images) ( 526287919 )
Members of movement Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, "Oxfam", put white roses on symbolic gravestones, on the opening day of the Geneva II peace talks on Syria, in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Representatives of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a divided opposition, world powers and regional bodies started the peace conference. (AP Photo/Keystone,Salvatore Di Nolfi) ( APTOPIX Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
A follower of the banned Islamic-oriented Hizb Al-Tahrir chants anti-Bashar Assad slogans and waves an Al-Tahrir flag, during a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy to condemn the peace talks in Switzerland between the Syrian government and the opposition, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. The black flag Arabic writing reads, "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad his messenger." (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon) ( Mideast Jordan Syria Peace Talks )
Women followers of the banned Islamic-oriented Hizb Al-Tahrir take part in a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy to condemn the peace talks in Switzerland between the Syrian government and the opposition, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. The white and black flags Arabic read "there is No God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger." (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon) ( Mideast Jordan Syria Peace Talks )
General view of the conference room during the start of the Syrian peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon opened the meeting saying that the peace talks will face "formidable" challenges for Syria. Ban called on the Syrian government and the opposition trying to overthrow it to negotiate in good faith. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
Masked members of the movement "Codepink women for peace" protest near the hotel, during the opening of the Geneva II peace talks on Syria , in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, January 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Keystone,Salvatore Di Nolfi) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
Demonstrators support Syrian President Bashar Assad as they protest near the venue of the of the Geneva II peace talks, an international conference aimed at ending the country's brutal conflict, in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. (AP Photo/Keystone, Salvatore Di Nolfi) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon adjusts his glasses during the start of the Syrian peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Ban Ki-moon opened the meeting saying that the peace talks will face "formidable" challenges for Syria. Ban called on the Syrian government and the opposition trying to overthrow it to negotiate in good faith as they meet face-to-face for the first time. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, right, in Montreux, Switzerland Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Syria's government and its enemies come face to face on Wednesday for the first time as world powers try to set aside their own differences and push for an end to three years of civil war that is unsettling the entire Middle East. (AP Photo/Gary Cameron, Pool) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )
A Syrian journalist tries to get the attention of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during his press conference on the first day of the Syrian peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2014. Ban Ki-moon opened the meeting saying that the peace talks will face "formidable" challenges for Syria. He called on the Syrian government and the opposition trying to overthrow it to negotiate in good faith. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus) ( Switzerland Syria Peace Talks )