MOSCOW: Kazakhstan says peace talks in the capital, Astana, over ending the fighting in Syria have been extended and will be attended by representatives of Syrian opposition forces.
“We expect the arrival of representatives from the Northern and Southern fronts of the armed Syrian opposition,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Onuar Zhainakov said Wednesday, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The Syrian opposition had previously boycotted this third summit in Astana, citing the regime’s continued bombardment of opposition-held areas in Homs and Damascus.
A regimen delegation led by Syria’s UN ambassador, Bashar Al-Jaafari, began meetings Tuesday with Russian officials in Astana.
Talks in Astana are running parallel to political talks in Geneva between the regime and the opposition. The Astana talks are centered on cease-fire and humanitarian efforts, but have brought few results.
Kazakh official: Syrian opposition to attend extended talks
Kazakh official: Syrian opposition to attend extended talks
