Come today and the five-year tribulation known as the Syrian crisis will seek a glimmer of light at the end of a long and dark tunnel when opposition forces and the Assad regime are represented at Geneva in the peace talks.

This is culmination of over two weeks of a fragile and rickety cease-fire between the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) and the government, with the former being the umbrella group of 147 factions. Although there were infringements the common purpose in seeing Daesh as the foe kept it from crumbling and allowed Geneva to become a reality.

However, hope is again at a premium after the Assad government announced barely 24 hours before the start of the peace meet that it had fresh limits on the agenda, paramount in its list the fact that there would be no discussion on any presidential elections.

The HNC intends to call for an interim authority in which Assad has no role. The intractable stances not only jeopardize the talks but signpost a renewal of hostilities. The HNC is more flexible from its last adamant refusal to attend talks and is ready for this Monday morning palaver though it does intend to bring up the election issue.

At this nascent juncture, such an impasse would be impossible to bridge and even if Russia and America spoke with the same voice it would not even make for a span across this massive chasm. The comments by Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, which ruled out any mention of presidential elections as a precondition, are a disservice to the people of Syria and do not make sense.

The Assad regime should have seen the Geneva meet as an opportunity to at least get the ball rolling and moved into the initial phase. By putting new restrictions the chances of the summit failing even before it has begun increase exponentially. There is still time to repair the dents caused by the dismay from this last-minute addition and one can only hope that better sense will prevail.

It has to be remembered that refusing to discuss an election was integral to the UN mandate and the Assad government has agreed to abide by it. At least, in the interest of avoiding a restart of hostilities allow the discussions to encompass all facets.

After all, it is not binding. It is simply a discussion and could open other windows even if the door is shut. By being so rigid the thaw could freeze over even before the scraping of chairs will be heard.