The Syrian government announced it will take part in a second round of peace talks in Geneva next week, as a first batch of civilians prepared to leave besieged rebel-held areas in a battleground Syrian city under an evacuation deal struck with the United Nations after a three-day cease-fire was reached.
The Syrian opposition has also said it will take part in the second round of talks. The first was adjourned with no signs of progress on Jan 31.
The negotiations aim to broker a political solution to Syria’s civil war. The nearly three-year conflict has killed more than 130,000 people, forced more than 2.3 million to seek refuge abroad, and sent sectarian tensions soaring across the region.
