( CNN ) -- The horrific new report accusing Syria 's embattled regime of torturing and killing thousands of detainees in government custody may not be a game-changer for the peace talks set to open in Switzerland on Wednesday , but they may well shift the narrative -- if only for a day . Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has played some powerful cards ahead of the Geneva 2 talks . He has cranked up the airstrikes in Aleppo , Syria 's biggest city and one of the main flashpoints of the three-year civil war that has devastated the country . And he sent Foreign Minister Walid Moallem to Moscow last week to announce a cease-fire proposal in an attempt to set the stage for opposition groups to look bad if they do n't agree to the deal . But when Syrian officials step in front of the cameras in Switzerland this week , the questions wo n't be about ceasefire deals . They 'll be about the report , first revealed by CNN and the Guardian in an exclusive on Monday , alleging systematic `` crimes against humanity '' being committed against prisoners in Syrian jails . 4 things to know about Syria . There may be moments of discomfort for Foreign Minister Moallem here , but they 'll be fleeting ones . It would be quite normal for the Syrians to question the authenticity of the photos depicting torture and starvation of prisoners , to brush the issue aside or shift the focus to the atrocities they claim have been committed by rebels ( or `` terrorists , '' as they 're known in government parlance ) . We certainly wo n't see the Assad regime admitting culpability over this . And while the timing of the report 's release clearly seems intended to push some much-needed wind into the sails of the groups opposed to Assad , it 's hard to see how they 'll benefit much from the new revelations . Organizationally , the opposition is a mess . Several of the largest groups , including the Syrian National Council , are n't even showing up to the talks . Rival rebel factions are massacring each other by the hundreds in the streets and alleys of cities across Syria . Even worse , none of the politicians who make up the majority of the Western-backed Syrian opposition are in the country , so they are n't in control of the military forces battling Assad 's troops on the ground . The U.S. State Department said they hope a few rebel army leaders show up to the talks , but again , who are they and what weight do they actually carry ? The principal rebel commander the U.S. was backing , Free Syrian Army general Salim Idris , fled the country in December . The influence of the group is being increasingly diminished by Islamist and al Qaeda-backed militants who the U.S. does not support . All in all , no one is expecting any major breakthroughs during one day of talks . U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry , who will attend the first day of talks in Montreux before they move to Geneva over the weekend , has said in the past that negotiations to end the Vietnam war took years . The best case scenario for these talks is more talks -- and that none of the parties get up and storm out . In terms of negotiations , when will we see some substantial compromises ? Assad recently told reporters that we 're still months away from him announcing a date for planned 2014 national elections . It seems increasingly likely that Assad will again run for president . But there 's always the possibility that he could use the ongoing war to postpone elections altogether . Let 's face it : how could you really hold elections when eight million people are displaced in Syria ? The regime would control the balloting and accounting processes : who would provide security ? It would be crazy to think international monitors could reliably observe national polls with a full-blown war happening all around them . If -- and probably when -- Assad won an election , it is clear the opposition would simply continue to refuse to recognize him as the legitimate leader of Syria . But until the yet-to-be announced date for a poll approaches , we are n't going to get to a decisive moment in peace talks . It 's too early to say , and we 're still so far away from any compromise points . EXCLUSIVE : Gruesome Syria photos may prove torture by Assad regime . CNN 's Nick Thompson contributed to this report .
The new report accusing Bashar al-Assad 's regime of torture may shift the focus of the peace talks . Syrian may question the authenticity of the photos , writes Assad 's Bashar al-Assad 's . Organizationally , the Syrians opposition is a mess , he says . Bashar al-Assad 's : No one is expecting any major breakthroughs during one day of talks .