more-inThe UN embarked on fresh efforts on Thursday to jump-start Syrian peace talks that Western countries and the opposition fear are being undermined by a separate Russian diplomatic push. The two days of talks in Vienna come after eight previous rounds in Geneva, during which the two sides failed to even meet each other. The main opposition group, the Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC), said it would sit down for separate talks with the envoy. The Vienna talks come ahead of a separate peace conference next Tuesday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, backed by Russia, Iran and Turkey. The three key regional players have been sponsoring parallel peace talks since the start of last year, which have fuelled concerns that the Kremlin is looking to sideline the UN.

Source: The Hindu January 25, 2018 16:12 UTC