Syrian adversaries sit down for direct talks That in itself is being seen as a key test of the talks process. If that negotiation works, the two sides will begin discussing the possibility of a transitional governing body as early as Monday, one diplomat said, in what would be a major surprise since the Assad regime has so far laughed off any suggestion that the opposition might contribute ministers to a power-sharing government, let alone that President Bashar al-Assad himself step down. That remains the key condition for the rebels. The breakthrough that brought the two sides together is more in wording than in substance. On Friday, it had briefly looked as if the talks would collapse altogether after the opposition demanded that the regime accept "in writing or equivalent" the Geneva 1 Communique, agreed by the United Nations security council 18 months ago as the talks' agenda, which demands a "transitional governing body." The regime has always refused to accept preconditions for talks, even though Russia, its main security council sponsor, has assured it that the "transitional body" wording does not mean Mr Assad has to go. Mr Brahimi, in announcing the face-to-face talks on Friday evening, said both sides had agreed that the communique would be the "basis for the process" but that there were accepted "differences of interpretation." Both sides entered and left the room from opposite sides, and sat facing each other across a U-shaped table with Mr Brahimi at the head. During the talks, participants will speak only to Mr Brahimi rather than to each other in the first instance, and in the first meeting did not speak at all, Mr Brahimi setting out a pre-agreed agenda in less than half an hour. There were no hand-shakes. The opposition delegation was led by Hadi Bahra, a member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, the biggest faction within the opposition Syrian National Coalition, and the political arm of the Free Syrian Army. The regime delegation was led by Bashar Jaafari, Syria's representative to the United Nations. There was no explanation as to why Walid al-Muallem, the foreign minister who is heading the regime side in Geneva, and Bouthaina Shaaban, a senior adviser to Mr Assad, were not present. Mr Akbik and Anas al-Abdah, another opposition delegate who was in the room, said that the agreed agenda included two elements - humanitarian issues such as the Homs ceasefire and the transitional governing body. Asked whether his side had made a concession by agreeing to meet without written regime acceptance of the Geneva 1 Communique, Mr Akbik said: "These negotiations are being managed by Lakhdar Brahimi. He has assured us that (he) is fully committed to the principle of Geneva 1. He will not allow the negotiations to deviate from these principles. He added: "The regime has to listen to us talking about what the Syrian people want. Dictatorships usually don't like to listen but today they had to listen. However, the opposition's agreement to start off with a ceasefire in Homs, while seemingly a small development, is a significant gamble. It remains unclear how much influence the politicians in Geneva have over the full spectrum of rebels on the ground. If they are unable to impose the ceasefire and secure the ICRC relief convoys, the opposition's cause could be irretrievably damaged as the regime could claim it is not a serious partner for negotiations.