SHAPING THE FUTURE
New Syria talks aim to bolster ceasefire
Astana — Representatives from the Syrian government and rebel groups held fresh talks on Thursday with key power brokers Russia, Turkey and Iran, aimed at shoring up a fragile ceasefire. The meeting is the second time key players Moscow, Ankara and Tehran have brought the warring sides together and comes ahead of a new round of UN-led talks on Syria in Geneva on February 23. The latest round of talks is expected to focus mostly on bolstering a faltering six-week truce and has been billed as a prelude to broader negotiations in Geneva. The regional brokers met separately for talks with regime and rebel delegates in the Kazakh capital, Astana. It appeared unlikely that the two sides would meet one-on-one, but a plenary session involving all parties was scheduled. A first set of talks on Syria that took place in Astana in January saw the rebels refuse to talk directly to the regime and did not result in any significant breakthrough. Rebel spokesman Yehya al-Aridi said on Wednesday the ...
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