Syrian peace talks - dubbed Geneva 2 - were in disarray yesterday before they began, buffeted by a botched UN invitation to Iran and new evidence that appears to show Bashar al-Assad's government tortured and killed thousands.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon's last-minute decision on Sunday to invite Assad's main backer Iran - only to withdraw the invitation a day later - proved a diplomatic fiasco.
War crimes lawyers said photographs apparently smuggled out of Syria by a military police photographer were clear evidence Syria has systematically tortured and killed some 11000 detainees.
Calls for Assad and his aides to face justice have, until now, failed to result in concrete action because Syria is not a member of the International Criminal Court.
It has always been unlikely that the UN Security Council would refer war crimes allegations against the Assad regime to the ICC because of Russian opposition. But the release of the torture evidence may change that. At the least, it will add to pressure on Assad's negotiators.
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