Syrian People Unconvinced By Peace Talks

By Robert Nisbet, Sky News Correspondent

In Damascus, the steady crump of shells fired into rebel-held suburbs intensified as talks began a thousand miles away.

The inhabitants were certainly paying attention. Traffic was noticeably lighter today after several days of extra security checks which had paralysed the capital.

A local fixer for Sky News said: "They are all watching Geneva II on the television. It's a great day to miss work."

In a large shisha pipe cafe in the city centre, the TVs were all tuned to the live feed from Switzerland.

Not that they had any choice: it was being carried by every news channel.

More than 130,000 people have been killed in the Syria violence

A waiter told us that when Syria's firebrand foreign minister began his lengthy diatribe blaming foreign meddling and terrorists for the crisis, they stopped talking and listened.

It was during the day so most people playing cards and backgammon in the room were elderly, retired professionals, from where Assad draws much of his support.

One told Sky News: "The world opinion about Syria will not change. Nothing changes in terms of the Syrian people because we love our country."

I spoke at length to a group of young men, all educated professionals or postgraduate students in their early twenties.

Face-to-face talks between the Assad regime and opposition begin on Friday

It was a depressing conversation. Most claimed to be apolitical, supporting neither the regime nor the mosaic of opposition parties, but all said they were scrabbling to leave Syria.

One said his mother kept begging him to stay to help rebuild the country when the war's over.

"I told her I have to leave. If I stay here, I will be killed," he said, allowing himself a grim smile.

At a large Catholic church in the Old City where forty of the congregation have been killed in the fighting, Father Macarius is pleased the talks are underway, but uncertain they will achieve the stated aims.

He too blames foreign interference.

He said: "Let the Syrian people find their own solution to the crisis.

"The biggest help would be if the international community lets go and allows the Syrian people to make their own decisions."

Outside the church the faithful expressed a simpler desire - for the killing to end and a return to normality.

They hope this process may at least be the start of something better - although no one seems entirely convinced.

One told Sky News: "We hope Geneva II will bring peace to Syria and to the world."

Another added: "At the beginning the world did not understand the situation in Syria, now they see and they understand I hope this will help."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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