The Syrian opposition said on Wednesday there had been fewer breaches of a truce agreement by the government and its allies in the past day as a U.N. envoy unveiled plans to resume peace talks next week.
The “cessation of hostilities agreement” brokered by the United States and Russia has slowed the war considerably despite accusations of violations on all sides, preparing the ground for talks which the United Nations plans to convene in Geneva.
The talks will coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war that has drawn in foreign governments and allowed the growth of ISIS.
U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said he planned to launch substantive peace talks on Monday, focusing on issues of Syria’s future governance, elections within 18 months, and a new constitution.
While the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has yet to declare whether it will attend, spokesman Salem al-Muslat said it was positive that the talks would “start ... with discussion of the matter of political transition”.
He said the HNC would announce its decision very soon.
The Syrian government, its position strengthened by more than five months of Russian air strikes, has also yet to say whether it will attend. There was no immediate response from Damascus to de Mistura’s remarks. The Syrian foreign minister is due to give a news conference on Saturday at noon (1000 GMT).
Peace talks convened in Geneva two years ago collapsed as the sides’ were unable to agree an agenda: Damascus wanted a focus on fighting terrorism - the term it uses for the rebellion - while the opposition wanted talks on transitional government.

UN sees no halt in Syria truce, talks to run to March 24

Staffan de Mistura United Nations Special Envoy for Syria addresses a news briefing after a meeting of the Task Force for Humanitarian Access at the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland, March 9, 2016. (Reuters)
Reuters, Geneva
Wednesday 09 March 2016
Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:48 - GMT 06:48
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