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Opposition negotiators have started arriving in Geneva ahead of crucial Syria peace talks, which are expected to tackle the issue of President Bashar al-Assad’s presidency head on. The talks today will coincide with next week’s fifth anniversary of a war that has killed more than 250,000 people, created the world’s worst refugee crisis, and allowed the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group.

James Bays, reporting from Geneva, said UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has openly stated he wants the talks to focus on “substantive issues”, including a new constitution and UN-monitored elections.

De Mistura said that under the current peace process, there is a higher chance than ever of achieving a political solution in Syria. “I think what’s important this time around [compared to previous peace talks], is that we seem to be getting to the key crunch issue — the future role of President Assad and those close to him,” said Bays.

Despite optimism about discussions to find a political solution to the deadly conflict, the Syrian government and opposition traded barbs on the future of Assad on Saturday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said the government delegation in Geneva will reject any attempt by the UN envoy to include presidential elections on the agenda.

“Neither he [de Mistura] nor anyone else, whoever they may be, has the right to discuss presidential elections. This right is exclusively for the Syrian people,” Muallem told a news conference in Damascus.

“We will not talk with anyone who wants to discuss the presidency . . . [President] Bashar al-Assad is a red line and is the property of the Syrian people.”

The main opposition bloc, the Riyadh-based High Negotiations Committee (HNC), has repeatedly called for Assad’s departure at the start of any transitional period.

“We consider that the transitional period begins with the departure of Bashar al-Assad or his death. It can’t be a stage where this regime, or the head of this regime, continues to be in power,” said Mohammed Alloush, HNC’s senior negotiator. – Al Jazeera