"The Syrian government’s expectation that attending peace talks with its foes would serve to affirm President Bashar al-Assad’s hold on power appeared to have backfired Friday, as the first round of talks concluded with little progress to report." I mean, could one not say: the exile opposition expectation that attending the peace talks with its foes would serve to lead to a transitional government backfired for sure as the government refused to budge? I mean, this obsession with serving the propaganda of the Free Syrian Army and the exile opposition is turning Western media to read like the daily regime newspaper, Tishrin.