ASTANA — Syrian government and opposition delegates gathered Monday in Kazakhstan’s capital for peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey that rebel sources said would not include direct negotiations. The negotiations in Astana were expected to focus on cementing a nation-wide cease-fire mediated by Russia, Iran and Turkey in December that has largely held. This undated handout photo released, Jan. 2, 2017, by the Russian Defense Ministry claims to show Russian Military engineers operating in Aleppo, Syria. This undated handout photo released, Jan. 2, 2017, by the Russian Defense Ministry claims to show Russian Military engineers operating in Aleppo, Syria. READ MORE OF THIS STORYSOURCE: VOA News Online(Visited 7 times, 7 visits today)Commentscomments

Source: GNN Liberia January 23, 2017 12:27 UTC