Syrian talks off to a rocky start
Rebels meeting for indirect talks in Kazakhstan want to reinforce the shaky ceasefire while Assad insists they lay down their arms in exchange for an amnesty deal
Astana — Syrian rebels vowed Monday to keep fighting if peace negotiations with the government of President Bashar al-Assad fail, as talks between the two sides in Kazakhstan got off to a rocky start. The meeting in Astana, backed by key players Russia, Turkey and Iran, had been billed as the first time armed rebel groups would negotiate directly with the Assad regime since the conflict erupted in 2011. But the rebels backed out of the first round of direct talks because of the regime’s continued bombardment and attacks on a flashpoint area near Damascus. However, they took part in indirect talks with the government and held a three-way meeting with Russia, Turkey and the UN. "If the negotiations succeed, then we are with the negotiations," rebel spokesman Osama Abu Zeid said. "If they don’t succeed, unfortunately we’ll have no choice but to continue fighting." The rebels’ announcement came as Russia’s defence ministry said its fighter jets had bombed the Islamic State group in the ...
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