24 January 2014
Last updated at 13:28 ET
Some of Syria's towns are burnt-out shells after three years of conflict
UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who held talks with both sides on
Friday, said they all understood that the conference was trying to "save
Syria".
The two sides have blamed each other for a lack of progress.
Diplomats say they are now aiming at small concessions such as local truces rather than an overall peace deal.
Mr Brahimi has spent three days attempting to get the two sides to meet each other.
Syria's civil conflict has claimed well over 100,000 lives since it began in 2011.
The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbours.
Preliminary talks began on Wednesday in Montreux, and Mr Brahimi spent Thursday and Friday attempting to persuade both sides to agree to meet face-to-face.
Friday was supposed to be the first day of official talks, but neither side would meet the other.
Instead, Mr Brahimi met government delegates in the morning, and the opposition in the afternoon.
At a news conference in the afternoon, he said both sides had agreed to meet in the same room.
"The discussions I've had with the two parties were encouraging, and we are looking forward to our meetings," he said.
"The huge ambition of this project is to save Syria. I hope that all three parties - the opposition, the government and the United Nations - will be up to this task."
The opposition and government are fundamentally divided over the aims of the conference.
The government delegation has said the main issue of the talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed "terrorism", by which it means the whole of the armed opposition.
The opposition, however, had insisted that the regime commit in writing to the 2012 Geneva I communique, which called for a transition process.
The communique urged Syria to form transitional governing authority that "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups".
Syria foes 'to meet face-to-face' at Geneva II talks
Some of Syria's towns are burnt-out shells after three years of conflict
Syria's
opposition and government will meet "in the same room" in Geneva on
Saturday after the first day of a peace conference ended with no direct
talks.
The two sides have blamed each other for a lack of progress.
Diplomats say they are now aiming at small concessions such as local truces rather than an overall peace deal.
Mr Brahimi has spent three days attempting to get the two sides to meet each other.
Continue reading the main story
Lakhdar Brahimi's announcement that the two sides will, after
all, meet face-to-face is the first genuinely positive moment since
these talks began on Wednesday.
Just a few hours earlier it looked as if Geneva II would end as it started, amid rancour and accusations. The Syrian government threatened to leave, and the opposition continued to insist it did not even want to see government representatives unless they agreed that President Assad had no place in a future transitional government.
Somehow, in separate talks, Mr Brahimi managed to persuade them to stay. The first face-to-face meeting is now scheduled for Saturday morning. If it goes well, there may be further meetings in the afternoon.
Exactly what will be discussed remains unclear: if the two sides focus on better access for aid agencies, or even some temporary local ceasefires, then progress may be made. If they continue to make President Assad's future their starting point, they may get nowhere. As Mr Brahimi said, no-one expected these talks to be easy.
Analysis
Just a few hours earlier it looked as if Geneva II would end as it started, amid rancour and accusations. The Syrian government threatened to leave, and the opposition continued to insist it did not even want to see government representatives unless they agreed that President Assad had no place in a future transitional government.
Somehow, in separate talks, Mr Brahimi managed to persuade them to stay. The first face-to-face meeting is now scheduled for Saturday morning. If it goes well, there may be further meetings in the afternoon.
Exactly what will be discussed remains unclear: if the two sides focus on better access for aid agencies, or even some temporary local ceasefires, then progress may be made. If they continue to make President Assad's future their starting point, they may get nowhere. As Mr Brahimi said, no-one expected these talks to be easy.
On Friday, the government's
delegation reportedly threatened to quit the talks unless "serious"
discussions were scheduled for Saturday.
The violence has also driven 9.5 million people from their homes, creating a major humanitarian crisis within Syria and for its neighbours.
Preliminary talks began on Wednesday in Montreux, and Mr Brahimi spent Thursday and Friday attempting to persuade both sides to agree to meet face-to-face.
Friday was supposed to be the first day of official talks, but neither side would meet the other.
Instead, Mr Brahimi met government delegates in the morning, and the opposition in the afternoon.
At a news conference in the afternoon, he said both sides had agreed to meet in the same room.
"The discussions I've had with the two parties were encouraging, and we are looking forward to our meetings," he said.
"The huge ambition of this project is to save Syria. I hope that all three parties - the opposition, the government and the United Nations - will be up to this task."
Lakhdar Brahimi: "We never considered that this was going to be an easy process"
The government delegation has said the main issue of the talks is finding a solution to foreign-backed "terrorism", by which it means the whole of the armed opposition.
The opposition, however, had insisted that the regime commit in writing to the 2012 Geneva I communique, which called for a transition process.
The communique urged Syria to form transitional governing authority that "could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups".
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