Delegates Protest Delay at Start of Sochi Syria Conference

A Syria peace conference opened in the Russian resort of Sochi on January 30 after a delay as opponents of Bashar al-Assad refused to leave the airport in a dispute over the conference’s use of government flags.Reuters quoted a journalist at the scene who said there were “70 people in the group at the airport and that they were waiting for a plane to take them back to Ankara.”Western powers, including France and Britain, refused to take part in the Sochi conference, favoring instead a UN-led approach. Several Syrian opposition groups also boycotted the talks.This video was shared by a Syrian MP attending the conference and is described as showing Syrian participants protesting the delay. People can be heard chanting, “Syrian people are one”. Credit: Khaled Aboud via Storyful