The main players in Syria's long-running civil war are meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday for talks that were arranged by Russia. The discussion seeks to bolster a cease-fire agreement that hasn't ended violence in Syria, but officials say they don't expect a breakthrough.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is playing a role at the talks, which will run through Tuesday. As the meetings got underway Monday, Russia's Tass news agency reports that Russia, Iran and Turkey plan to sign an agreement to "create a trilateral mechanism" that will enforce the cease-fire that was reached at the end of December.

"The talks are the latest of many in Syria's nearly six-year civil war, but they're unusual in that they do not have significant presence from the United States or the United Nations. Regional powers Russia and Turkey, with backing from Iran, arranged the discussions. The talks are meant to build on a recent cease-fire, although representatives of the government stress they don't have high expectations for a breakthrough."



The American ambassador to Kazakhstan is at the talks at Russia's invitation, the AP reports. The news agency adds, "For the first time in internationally sponsored talks, Syrian armed groups — not political — are leading the opposition. Thirteen rebel factions, including from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, sent delegates."

As the talks in Astana begin, the U.N. is launching a conference in Helsinki aimed at supporting Syrian refugees and delivering humanitarian aid to some 13.5 million people in Syria.

From Moscow, NPR's Lucian Kim reports that the Kremlin has sought to depict the talks as complementing the U.N.'s attempts to end a crisis that it says has affected more than 22 million people.

"Russia says the main goal of the talks in Kazakhstan is to firm up a cease-fire that went into effect at the end of December," Lucian says.

According to Tass, Russia and its partners in the Syrian talks say they'll also support the upcoming U.N. talks between the two sides of the conflict; those sessions are scheduled to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8.</s>Russian officials will visit Turkey on Jan. 9-10 to discuss the framework for Syrian peace talks planned to be held in Kazakhstan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a televised interview with the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in the Syrian civil war but have brokered a fragile ceasefire, slated to be followed by peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.</s>The main players in Syria's long-running civil war are meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday for talks that were arranged by Russia. The discussion seeks to bolster a cease-fire agreement that hasn't ended violence in Syria, but officials say they don't expect a breakthrough.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is playing a role at the talks, which will run through Tuesday. As the meetings got underway Monday, Russia's Tass news agency reports that Russia, Iran and Turkey plan to sign an agreement to "create a trilateral mechanism" that will enforce the cease-fire that was reached at the end of December.

"The talks are the latest of many in Syria's nearly six-year civil war, but they're unusual in that they do not have significant presence from the United States or the United Nations. Regional powers Russia and Turkey, with backing from Iran, arranged the discussions. The talks are meant to build on a recent cease-fire, although representatives of the government stress they don't have high expectations for a breakthrough."



The American ambassador to Kazakhstan is at the talks at Russia's invitation, the AP reports. The news agency adds, "For the first time in internationally sponsored talks, Syrian armed groups — not political — are leading the opposition. Thirteen rebel factions, including from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, sent delegates."

As the talks in Astana begin, the U.N. is launching a conference in Helsinki aimed at supporting Syrian refugees and delivering humanitarian aid to some 13.5 million people in Syria.

From Moscow, NPR's Lucian Kim reports that the Kremlin has sought to depict the talks as complementing the U.N.'s attempts to end a crisis that it says has affected more than 22 million people.

"Russia says the main goal of the talks in Kazakhstan is to firm up a cease-fire that went into effect at the end of December," Lucian says.

According to Tass, Russia and its partners in the Syrian talks say they'll also support the upcoming U.N. talks between the two sides of the conflict; those sessions are scheduled to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8.</s>The main players in Syria's long-running civil war are meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday for talks that were arranged by Russia. The discussion seeks to bolster a cease-fire agreement that hasn't ended violence in Syria, but officials say they don't expect a breakthrough.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is playing a role at the talks, which will run through Tuesday. As the meetings got underway Monday, Russia's Tass news agency reports that Russia, Iran and Turkey plan to sign an agreement to "create a trilateral mechanism" that will enforce the cease-fire that was reached at the end of December.

"The talks are the latest of many in Syria's nearly six-year civil war, but they're unusual in that they do not have significant presence from the United States or the United Nations. Regional powers Russia and Turkey, with backing from Iran, arranged the discussions. The talks are meant to build on a recent cease-fire, although representatives of the government stress they don't have high expectations for a breakthrough."



The American ambassador to Kazakhstan is at the talks at Russia's invitation, the AP reports. The news agency adds, "For the first time in internationally sponsored talks, Syrian armed groups — not political — are leading the opposition. Thirteen rebel factions, including from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, sent delegates."

As the talks in Astana begin, the U.N. is launching a conference in Helsinki aimed at supporting Syrian refugees and delivering humanitarian aid to some 13.5 million people in Syria.

From Moscow, NPR's Lucian Kim reports that the Kremlin has sought to depict the talks as complementing the U.N.'s attempts to end a crisis that it says has affected more than 22 million people.

"Russia says the main goal of the talks in Kazakhstan is to firm up a cease-fire that went into effect at the end of December," Lucian says.

According to Tass, Russia and its partners in the Syrian talks say they'll also support the upcoming U.N. talks between the two sides of the conflict; those sessions are scheduled to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8.</s>ASTANA (Sputnik) — The negotiations mediated by Russia, Iran and Turkey are witnessing the first time when the government delegation is seated at the same table as the armed opposition.

According to Kazakh Foreign Ministry, the talks are expected to last for 24 hours and conclude on Tuesday.</s>Russia, President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, set the new diplomatic effort in motion after Syrian rebels suffered a major defeat last month by losing the rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo.

The United States, which led failed efforts to launch peace talks last year, has not been involved in the latest diplomacy.

Assad has already said his government is ready to attend the talks. After winning ground with Russian and Iranian military support, he looks stronger than at any point in the war.

The rebels took the decision at meetings underway in Ankara, and are now working to form a delegation that will be headed by Mohammad Alloush, the head of the political office of Jaish al-Islam rebel group, Alloush told Reuters. He said the rebels were going to Astana to "neutralise the criminal role" of Iran.

Analysts believe the rebels have been under pressure from Turkey, one of their main sponsors, to attend. Earlier this month, they called off any talks on their participation in the Astana meeting over what they said were government violations of a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey.

Turkey's priorities in Syria appear to have shifted away from toppling Assad towards combating Kurdish groups and Islamic State in areas of northern Syria near its border. Its ties with Russia have also improved in recent months.

"The factions will go and the first thing they will discuss will be the matter of the ceasefire and the violations by the regime," said an official in a Free Syrian Army rebel group who declined to be identified because the rebel groups had yet to appoint a spokesman. "This will be a test for the Russians as the guarantor," he said.

A second official, Zakaria Malahifji of the Fastaqim rebel group, said: "The majority of the groups decided to attend. Discussions will be on the ceasefire - the humanitarian issues - aid deliveries, release of detainees."

The rebel groups would reject any discussion of broader political issues at the Astana talks, the rebel officials said.

The talks are scheduled for Jan. 23 in Astana. Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday that Ankara and Moscow had decided to invite the United States to attend. A Kremlin spokesman did not confirm that on Monday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday discussed preparations for forthcoming Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

As with last year's peace talks, powerful Kurdish groups that control wide areas of northern Syria are being excluded from the talks in line with the wishes of Turkey.

Fighting has continued despite the ceasefire, notably near Damascus where government forces backed by Lebanon's Hezbollah are trying to recapture a rebel-held area where the capital's main water supply has been bombed out of service.

The rebel groups that will attend the talks include FSA factions fighting in northern Syria, some of them the groups defeated in Aleppo. Alloush's faction, Jaish al-Islam, is one of the bigger rebel groups, with a strong presence in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area near Damascus.

The delegation will be different to one sent to peace talks in Geneva last year by the main opposition council, the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee. The HNC, which includes political and armed opposition groups, represented the opposition in peace talks last year.

Alloush sits on the HNC, which said on Saturday that it had supported efforts towards the talks in Kazakhstan, and viewed the meeting as a preliminary step for resuming the next round of political negotiations in Geneva.

Malahifji said the new delegation would be formed in coordination with the HNC, but it would differ from it because "the Russians are focusing very much on the military factions".

Assad said his last week his government was ready to negotiate on "everything" in Kazakhstan, including his own position within the Syrian constitution.</s>"Russia has tried to transform its military achievements in Syria into a political success. In this respect, it is particularly significant that Russia has officially invited representatives of the Syrian opposition to take part in the talks, serving as a nation-guarantor and mediator of the negotiations process. Russia is a major stakeholder in Syria; it has influence on the ground. This is why Russia's initiative is so significant," he explained.

The Sultan Murad Division, which is part of the Free Syrian Army, is one of several groups taking part in the talks that have brought together representatives of President Bashar al-Assad and armed rebel groups fighting to overthrow him. Daesh and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (formerly known as al-Nusra Front) were not invited, while Ahrar al-Sham decided not to come.

"Since the talks in Astana have focused on the ceasefire regime in Syria, there are many representatives of armed groups at the meeting," Abdulrahman Mustafa said. "Representatives of opposition forces from all over Syria, including southern regions and the Daraa province have arrived in Astana."

The agreements were brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran, with Moscow and Ankara serving as guarantors of the ceasefire.

Abdulrahman Mustafa said that the armed opposition "is committed to rigorous compliance with the ceasefire regime" and advocates "sustained political resolution" of the Syrian conflict. "Our goal is to end bloodshed and the war which is hurting the Syrian people," he added.

The second day of indirect talks is expected to end with a press conference scheduled to take place at 8:00 a.m. GMT at the Kazmedia center located across the street from the Rixos President hotel where the Syria talks are held. All delegations are said to be planning to participate in the press conference.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!</s>ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) — Russia, Iran and Turkey — sponsors of talks in Kazakhstan between Syria and rebel factions — pledged Tuesday to consolidate the country’s nearly month-old cease-fire and set up a three-way mechanism to ensure compliance of all sides.

At the conclusion of the two-day conference on Syria’s nearly six-year war in Astana, the three countries said they will use their “influence” to strengthen the truce, without specifying how that would work.

The statement signed by the three sponsors also says the agreement in Astana paves the way for political talks to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8, and welcomed the rebel groups’ participation in the U.N. sponsored talks.

Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, and Turkey, a supporter of the opposition, had negotiated the shaky Dec. 30 cease-fire. Iran, supporter of the government, had approved it. The cease-fire greatly reduced the violence in Syria. But violations continued and the Syrian opposition and the government and its allies exchanged blame.

Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, read out the final statement at the end of the meeting, which briefly brought the warring parties together in a face-to-face meeting. But the talks were largely indirect, mediated by the United Nations envoy.

The meeting’s final statement said the three countries “will seek through concrete steps and using the influence of the parties the consolidation the cease-fire” and agreed “to establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the cease fire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the ceasefire.”

The statement said the three nations will continue their joint efforts in fighting the extremist Islamic State group and the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. They called on the opposition to separate themselves from an al-Qaida-affiliate in Syria, a sticky point that has previously been the reason for the failure of previous cease-fire. The rebel groups have formed close links with the group, known as Fatah al-Sham Front, on the ground. Tough fighters, Fatah al-Sham is excluded from the cease-fire according to the government, but the rebels say the truce should include all of Syria.

Astana featured a brief face-to-face meeting between the government and rebel representatives — their first since the Syrian war began in 2011 — that was quickly followed by harsh exchanges.

After the final statement and in a briefing with journalists, the Syrian government delegate to the talks said the conference succeeded in consolidating the cease-fire in the war ravaged country.

Bashar al-Ja’afari, Syria’s U.N. ambassador who is leading the government delegation to the talks in Astana, said his government did all it could to “remove obstacles” facing the talks in Astana.

Shortly before him, an opposition representative Osama Abo Zayd said the rebels had reservations about the final statement because Iran, which fights alongside the government, should not be considered a sponsor of the talks, but a party to the conflict.</s>BEIRUT (AP) — The latest on Syria talks underway for a second day in Kazakhstan and developments on the ground in the war-torn country (all times local):

Turkey’s state-run news agency says that Turkey, Russia and Iran have reached an agreement on a three-way mechanism to monitor and enforce a cease-fire in Syria.

The announcement is the first sign of progress during the second day of talks underway in Astana, Kazakhstan, between the Syrian government and rebel factions.

The Anadolu Agency said on Tuesday that the mechanism would allow the three countries to respond immediately to reports on breaches of the cease-fire by using “their influence” to end attacks. The report out of Astana was based on unnamed sources.

Anadolu says the agreement is part of an article of a planned joint declaration to be released later in the day. The agency said however, that the final declaration was still being worked out.

Syria talks between the Damascus government and rebel factions are underway in Kazakhstan for a second day, following a rocky start that saw harsh exchanges between the warring sides.

The talks are focused on shoring up a cease-fire in place since Dec. 30 and are to be followed by more negotiations in Geneva next month.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is mediating the talks, promised as he entered the venue at the Rixos Hotel in Astana there will be an “outcome” later on Tuesday.

Syrian rebel spokesman Osama Abo Zayd says his side will communicate with the government delegation through intermediaries, not directly.

The rebels have pinned their hopes on Russia and Turkey, which brokered the cease-fire, but Abu Zayd says they “are waiting for something more than statements.”</s>ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the ongoing Syrian crisis talks in Kazakhstan with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by phone, a Turkish diplomatic source told Sputnik.

"Our minister held phone talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today. The sides exchanged views on the negotiations in Astana. The conversation took place at Russia's request," the diplomatic source said Tuesday.
The second day of peace negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, end with the sponsors of the talks, Russia, Turkey and Iran, agreeing to set up commission between the three to monitor and enforce the fragile ceasefire to the Syrian Civil War.