Why Syria's upcoming peace talks could hinge on the nuclear deal with Iran

Iran could be a key player in January talks to end Syria's bloody civil war

Syrian rebel fighter
(Image credit: (AP Photo/Hussein Malla))

On Monday, the United Nations announced that Syria's warring factions — the government of President Bashar al-Assad and the rebels trying to overthrow him — would sit down for peace talks for the first time on Jan. 22, 2014. The U.S. and Russia will also attend the meeting. Getting the Syrian rivals to agree to sit down is a big breakthrough, and the diplomats sounded cautiously optimistic.

"At long last and for the first time, the Syrian government and opposition will meet at the negotiating table instead of the battlefield," said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The talks will be the "best opportunity" to end the bloodshed, concurred U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Referring to the landmark Iran nuclear agreement signed a day earlier, Ban's spokesman Martin Nesirky added, "I would simply say that it was a good weekend for diplomacy."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.