Overseen by the United Nations, both sides of Syria’s bloody and devastating civil war are meeting this week to engage in mediation in the hopes that a solution or at the very least a meaningful cease-fire can be achieved.  The war has so far resulted in at least 130,000 casualties and 2.4 million displaced citizens who have fled to surrounding countries – many of which are struggling to deal with the humanitarian needs these refugee camps have created in their borders.

The goal of the mediation is to negotiate a new, transitional government that would take over from the existing regime and oversee elections that would create a new Syrian government.  The main sticking point is whether or not the current Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, can have a role in the transitional government that is formed.  The opposition asserts that Mr. Assad is a war criminal who cannot have any place in a new Syria, whereas Mr. Assad’s allies, most notably Russia, contend he must be involved.

The mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi from Algeria, has expressed cautious optimism, noting that both sides are motivated to resolve these issues without further loss of life or property damage, and that the opposition forces have come to the table with a limited cease-fire offer in hand, which he regards as a good-faith move that may bear fruit.  Most other nations at the U.N. have issued statements encouraging the mediation process and categorising it as a positive step forward.