Syrian Opposition's Calm at Talks Suprises as Officials Falter

-          The Syrian government officials were expected to present themselves as the grown-ups at the peace conference, but instead they took offense easily

-          The Syrians sent mixed messages, ignored meeting agenda and time limits for speeches, and in some  ways embarrassing their Russian allies

-          Russian officials have long said they are not committed to Mr. Assad personally but see no alternative that could stabilize Syria

-          A more immediate goal for the coalition is to increase support within the broader opposition

-          The regime delegation seems unorganized and fractured when that was what people expected from the coalition

-          Foreign Ministry delegates pledged to discuss a transitional government only to be contradicted by Mr. Assad’s advisers

-          Officials were under scrutiny from hard-liners in Damascus and feared retribution should a too-conciliatory phrase slip. It is also possibly they assumed the conference would never happen

-          “For the first time the regime had to sit down and hear the demands of the people,” said a coalition spokeswoman

-          The government also gained some support for its argument that its opponents are Western puppets; opposition delegates met daily with Western diplomats and submitted documents in English not Arabic