Syria peace talks News

The rebels on Wednesday said they were temporarily pulling out of the talks -- sponsored by regime backers Russia and Iran and opposition supporter Turkey -- over air strikes against civilians.  

Syrian rebel and government representatives met in Kazakhstan on Thursday for a fresh round of peace talks under the auspices of Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Peace talks gathering the Syrian regime and rebel groups began Monday in the Kazakh capital Astana, although rebels said they would not negotiate face-to-face with the government in the first session. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that one of the goals of upcoming Syria peace talks in the Kazakh capital was to consolidate the frail truce in the war-torn country. 

Syrian rebel groups have decided to attend peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhstan to press for implementation of a widely violated ceasefire, rebel officials said on Monday, in a boost for Moscow-led diplomacy.

Washington, Moscow and key regional players who met in Switzerland for Syria peace talks have decided to "prolong contacts", Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday.

The postponement of Syria peace talks by the opposition is indefinite, with any resumption dependent on "correcting the path of the negotiations" and events on the ground, a senior opposition official said on Tuesday.

Speaking after a four-hour meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Moscow and Washington would try in the next few days to nudge Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to "make the right decision" about committing fully to peace talks.

The UN's Syria envoy said Thursday he is aiming to restart peace talks on April 9, disregarding a regime request that negotiations not resume until after parliamentary elections set for April 13.

Syria`s peace talks hit a fresh impasse over President Bashar al-Assad Monday, as the head of Lebanon`s Hezbollah vowed his Shiite movement would keep fighting alongside the regime until Islamic State jihadists are defeated.

Peace talks to end Syria's brutal war broadened to include an opposition group close to Moscow, as the UN intensified efforts to find a political solution to the five-year conflict.

Agreeing on political transition in Syria is the "mother of all issues," the UN envoy for the war-ravaged country said Monday, as a new round of peace talks was to begin.

United Nations Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura met representatives of both delegations for "informal meetings" ahead of the negotiations.

Moscow said today it had made a "quite specific" ceasefire proposal for Syria as foreign ministers gathered in Munich, hoping to revive a floundering peace process amid warnings of a "new world war".

Donor nations pledged on Thursday to give billions of dollars in aid to Syrians as world leaders gathered for a conference to tackle the world`s worst humanitarian crisis, with Turkey reporting a new exodus of tens of thousands fleeing air strikes.

The head of the Syrian government`s delegation on Wednesday accused the opposition of wanting to withdraw from peace talks under pressure from regional power

The UN special envoy for Syria announced on Wednesday a "temporary pause" until February 25 of troubled talks in Switzerland aimed at ending the country`s brutal civil war.

De Mistura said he was asking for the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) of outside countries to convene "as soon as possible."

Syria`s main opposition group met formally Monday for the first time with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura in Geneva for talks aimed at ending the country`s civil war, an AFP reporter said.

Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov will meet his American counterpart John Kerry on February 11 to review progress in the Syria peace talks, his office said on Friday.