The UN envoy for Syria has started a new round, the seventh so far, of indirect talks between Syrian Government and opposition leaders in Geneva.
The talks are expected to last through the week. They come as a ceasefire in Syria, brokered by the US and Russian presidents, has gone into effect in the country’s south. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura declined to comment on his expectations but was due to hold a news conference later on Monday. De Mistura was meeting first with envoys from Syrian President Bashar Assad’s Government, before a meeting later with opposition representatives.
The UN-led diplomatic efforts seek partly to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria and lay the groundwork for the day when Syria’s civil war, now in its seventh yer, finally ends.