The latest round of Syria peace talks wound down Friday with rival sides trading familiar soundbites as the UN envoy maintained his push for incremental progress towards a deal. A delegation from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and rebel negotiators were in Geneva this week for a seventh round of UN-backed negotiations aimed at resolving … Read more
The UN envoy for Syria said Tuesday he hoped that talks set to begin next week in Astana would help create favorable conditions for the next round of talks scheduled in Geneva, despite rising tensions. Staffan de Mistura’s remarks came a day after the United States announced the regime of Bashar al-Assad was preparing a … Read more
A new round of Syria peace talks could happen next month in Geneva, the United Nations envoy said Wednesday, following repeated failed attempts to stem the bloodshed. Staffan de Mistura told reporters during at a conference in Norway that fresh negotiations aimed at ending Syria’s six-year-old civil war could start at the end of the … Read more
A new round of Syria peace talks could happen next month in Geneva, the United Nations envoy said Wednesday, following repeated failed attempts to stem the bloodshed. Staffan de Mistura told reporters during at a conference in Norway that fresh negotiations aimed at ending Syria’s six-year-old civil war could start at the end of the … Read more
Despite little progress in the latest round of Syrian peace talks, negotiations are set to resume in June, the UN envoy said Monday. Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council that “important gaps remain between the parties on major issues” following the sixth round in Geneva held last week. The Syrian government and the opposition … Read more
A new round of Syrian peace talks opens in Geneva on Tuesday, overshadowed by a competing process in Astana and with rebels reeling from a major setback in Damascus. Since it broke out in March 2011, Syria’s conflict has killed more than 320,000 people, displaced millions and ravaged the country’s economy and infrastructure. Efforts to … Read more
The United Nations said Thursday it was in talks with Iran, Russia and Turkey over who should control proposed safe zones in Syria, a key question after Damascus rejected any international monitors. The UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura and humanitarian pointman Jan Egeland both said it was premature to rule out any scenario. “I … Read more
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson discussed the conflict in Syria with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov on Friday, the State Department said. Their conversation took place a day after Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a deal setting up four “de-escalation zones” in Syria during talks in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. The United States did not take … Read more
A Syrian rebel delegation has arrived in the Kazakh capital Astana for Russian-led talks aimed at ending the country’s civil war after the group snubbed the previous round, Kazakhstan said Tuesday. A rebel delegation led by Jaish al-Islam faction leader Mohammad Alloush has arrived in Astana for a fourth round of talks with the regime … Read more
The UN’s Syria envoy said Thursday that he will hold talks with Russian officials next week but without the US present after previous plans for a trilateral meeting were “postponed”. UN peace mediator Staffan de Mistura said his meeting with Russia’s deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov is set for Monday in Geneva. “The trilateral meeting … Read more
The United Nations’ Syria envoy sent an urgent appeal Saturday to Russia, Iran and Turkey seeking help to restore a ceasefire, warning that escalating violence was threatening peace talks in Geneva. UN mediator Staffan de Mistura sent letters to Moscow and Tehran — which back the Damascus regime — as well as Ankara which supports … Read more
Syrian rivals will tackle all agenda items at peace talks this week, including political transition, the United Nations mediator Staffan de Mistura said Friday, warning not to expect “miracles.” The fifth round of stalled UN-backed negotiations have started in Geneva, with a mandate to discuss governance, drafting a new constitution, elections and combating terrorism in … Read more
UN-backed Syria peace talks resumed in Geneva on Thursday, with little hope of a breakthrough and the emboldened regime seen as unlikely to make concessions. The United Nations deputy Syria envoy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy met government negotiators at a high-end hotel in the Swiss city, before heading to another hotel to see the opposition High … Read more
Syrian rivals were to resume UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva on Thursday, with escalating violence and deadlock on key issues dimming hopes of a breakthrough. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura tried to strike an optimistic note when the previous round ended last month. He insisted government and rebel negotiators had agreed on a “clear agenda” … Read more
Russian-led peace efforts for Syria foundered Wednesday as a third round of talks ended with no progress after rebels refused to show up to a meeting in Kazakhstan. Regime supporters Russia and Iran along with rebel-backer Turkey have been pushing negotiations in Astana since January after gains on the ground by Damascus turned the tables … Read more
A third round of Russian-backed talks on the Syrian war opened in the Kazakh capital Astana on Tuesday without armed rebel groups, leaving little hope for a breakthrough in ending the six-year conflict. The talks, sponsored by regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel-backer Turkey, come as other diplomatic efforts to end the bloodshed have … Read more
Syria’s government and opposition groups are invited to resume peace talks in Geneva on March 23, the UN envoy said Wednesday, as the United States pledged support for the negotiations. Staffan de Mistura announced the date after reporting to the Security Council on the results of the last round of talks on ending Syria’s six-year … Read more
More than a week of UN-sponsored peace talks ended in Geneva on Friday, the main opposition group said, calling the results “more positive” than previous rounds. “We are closing this round without (a) clear result… but I can say this time was more positive,” Nasr al-Hariri, delegation chief for the High Negotiating Committee (HNC), told … Read more
UN-sponsored Syria peace talks limped towards a close on Friday after more than a week in Geneva with little sign of progress beyond possible agreement on an agenda for more substantial negotiations. That may seem a low bar by which to judge diplomatic achievement — but for the United Nations’ envoy Staffan de Mistura, simply … Read more
Syria’s opposition on Monday urged Russia, a key ally of President Bashar al-Assad, to put pressure on Damascus to help kickstart sputtering peace talks in Geneva. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main opposition group at the UN-sponsored talks, said it expects to meet a Russian delegation Tuesday in the Swiss city. “We sincerely hope … Read more