WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Initial indications related to the progress of the intra-Syrian peace talks in Astana appear unpromising, US Senator Robert Menendez told Sputnik.

“The early reports [on Astana talks] don't seem promising… I’m certainly hopeful that the ceasefire continues to hold … but I’m not sure how much more will come out of it," Menendez said on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, Russian delegation's head Alexander Lavrentiev said Syrian peace settlement talks in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana were rather successful with the final document being under discussion.

“Before we start engaging with Russia we have to see whether it is ready to come back the international order and the rules-based process we have established that has worked well for the world,” Menendez added.

The Syrian settlement talks in Kazakhstan's capital brokered by Moscow, Ankara and Tehran, started on Monday and are expected to last through Tuesday. The talks brought together the delegation of the Syrian government and representatives of armed opposition groups for the first time since the beginning of the state's civil war in 2011. </s> ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) — Russia, Iran and Turkey — sponsors of talks in Kazakhstan between Syria and rebel factions — pledged Tuesday to consolidate the country’s nearly month-old cease-fire and set up a three-way mechanism to ensure compliance of all sides.

At the conclusion of the two-day conference on Syria’s nearly six-year war in Astana, the three countries said they will use their “influence” to strengthen the truce, without specifying how that would work.

The statement signed by the three sponsors also says the agreement in Astana paves the way for political talks to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8, and welcomed the rebel groups’ participation in the U.N. sponsored talks.

Russia, an ally of the Syrian government, and Turkey, a supporter of the opposition, had negotiated the shaky Dec. 30 cease-fire. Iran, supporter of the government, had approved it. The cease-fire greatly reduced the violence in Syria. But violations continued and the Syrian opposition and the government and its allies exchanged blame.

Kazakhstan’s foreign minister, Kairat Abdrakhmanov, read out the final statement at the end of the meeting, which briefly brought the warring parties together in a face-to-face meeting. But the talks were largely indirect, mediated by the United Nations envoy.

The meeting’s final statement said the three countries “will seek through concrete steps and using the influence of the parties the consolidation the cease-fire” and agreed “to establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the cease fire, prevent any provocations and determine all modalities of the ceasefire.”

The statement said the three nations will continue their joint efforts in fighting the extremist Islamic State group and the al-Qaida affiliate in Syria. They called on the opposition to separate themselves from an al-Qaida-affiliate in Syria, a sticky point that has previously been the reason for the failure of previous cease-fire. The rebel groups have formed close links with the group, known as Fatah al-Sham Front, on the ground. Tough fighters, Fatah al-Sham is excluded from the cease-fire according to the government, but the rebels say the truce should include all of Syria.

Astana featured a brief face-to-face meeting between the government and rebel representatives — their first since the Syrian war began in 2011 — that was quickly followed by harsh exchanges.

After the final statement and in a briefing with journalists, the Syrian government delegate to the talks said the conference succeeded in consolidating the cease-fire in the war ravaged country.

Bashar al-Ja’afari, Syria’s U.N. ambassador who is leading the government delegation to the talks in Astana, said his government did all it could to “remove obstacles” facing the talks in Astana.

Shortly before him, an opposition representative Osama Abo Zayd said the rebels had reservations about the final statement because Iran, which fights alongside the government, should not be considered a sponsor of the talks, but a party to the conflict. </s> President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on Monday expressed readiness to host Syrian peace talks in Astana.

“The Astana process will be in addition to the United Nations process. Turkey, Russia and İran will be guarantor countries, but the Syrian regime and opposition will negotiate,” Ibrahim Kalın said at a press conference in Ankara as quoted by website Turkish Minute.

The spokesman added that Turkey is advocating that the ceasefire in Aleppo to be implemented throughout Syria.

The opposition and Damascus, along with the mediators, have been engaged in UN-brokered settlement talks. The last round of intra-Syrian talks took place in Geneva in April. The Syrian High Negotiations Committee opposition group walked out of the negotiations, citing the continuous fighting in Syria and the lack of progress on humanitarian issues. </s> UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters that the work was continuing. He also had a short conversation with Ansari.

On Monday, Lavrentiev said that the first day of the Syrian peace settlement talks in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana was rather successful with the final document being under discussion.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed! </s> The main players in Syria's long-running civil war are meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, Monday for talks that were arranged by Russia. The discussion seeks to bolster a cease-fire agreement that hasn't ended violence in Syria, but officials say they don't expect a breakthrough.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura is playing a role at the talks, which will run through Tuesday. As the meetings got underway Monday, Russia's Tass news agency reports that Russia, Iran and Turkey plan to sign an agreement to "create a trilateral mechanism" that will enforce the cease-fire that was reached at the end of December.

"The talks are the latest of many in Syria's nearly six-year civil war, but they're unusual in that they do not have significant presence from the United States or the United Nations. Regional powers Russia and Turkey, with backing from Iran, arranged the discussions. The talks are meant to build on a recent cease-fire, although representatives of the government stress they don't have high expectations for a breakthrough."



The American ambassador to Kazakhstan is at the talks at Russia's invitation, the AP reports. The news agency adds, "For the first time in internationally sponsored talks, Syrian armed groups — not political — are leading the opposition. Thirteen rebel factions, including from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, sent delegates."

As the talks in Astana begin, the U.N. is launching a conference in Helsinki aimed at supporting Syrian refugees and delivering humanitarian aid to some 13.5 million people in Syria.

From Moscow, NPR's Lucian Kim reports that the Kremlin has sought to depict the talks as complementing the U.N.'s attempts to end a crisis that it says has affected more than 22 million people.

"Russia says the main goal of the talks in Kazakhstan is to firm up a cease-fire that went into effect at the end of December," Lucian says.

According to Tass, Russia and its partners in the Syrian talks say they'll also support the upcoming U.N. talks between the two sides of the conflict; those sessions are scheduled to be held in Geneva on Feb. 8. </s> AMMAN — Syrian rebel negotiator Mohammad Alloush said on Monday he would head the rebel delegation to the peace talks backed by Russia and Turkey in Kazakhastan, saying this was to “neutralize the criminal role “ of Iran in the Syrian conflict.

Alloush, a former senior negotiator with the Higher Negotiations Committee during past rounds of UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, said their participation was needed to hold back Iran’s militias fighting in Syria.

The talks, beginning on Jan. 23 in the Kazakh capital Astana, are set to build on a nationwide truce that has largely held despite escalating violence across several battlefronts in recent days.

If the Astana meetings are successful, they could augur well for fresh UN-hosted negotiations on the conflict next month in Geneva. “All the rebel groups are going (to Astana). Everyone has agreed,” said Alloush.

“Astana is a process to end the bloodletting by the regime and its allies. We want to end this series of crimes,” he said.

Ahmad Al-Othman from the Sultan Murad faction also told AFP that “the rebel groups have decided to go to the talks.”

Sources from the opposition and the regime said the talks would “probably” be face-to-face.

Several rounds of peace talks held by the United Nations have failed to produce a political solution to the conflict.

Ahmad Ramadan, from the leading National Coalition opposition group, said the Astana talks would aim to reinforce the truce “while the details of the political process will be left to Geneva.”

“Despite all the truce violations, what pushed us to agree to attend was the fact that the agenda will be focused on the ceasefire only,” said Osama Abu Zeid, a legal adviser to rebel groups.

The opposition’s delegation to Astana “will be only military,” but would be consulting with “a team of legal and political advisers” from the High Negotiations Committee, he said.

The HNC is the main umbrella group for Syria’s opposition factions, negotiating on their behalf last year in Geneva.

US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has been invited to take part, but has not yet officially responded.

More than 310,000 people have been killed and millions have fled their homes since protests erupted against Assad’s rule in the spring of 2011.

Over the years, the conflict has also witnessed the rise to prominence of terror groups like Daesh.

Daesh on Monday pressed their brutal offensive around the key eastern city of Deir Ezzor.

“IS (Daesh) has resorted to heavy use of infiltrators and on huge reinforcements from Raqa and western parts of Deir Ezzor province,” the source said.

Around 200,000 people live in Deir Ezzor city, which has been besieged by Daesh since early 2015 and is the capital of the oil-rich province of the same name. </s> BEIRUT (AP) — The latest on Syria talks underway for a second day in Kazakhstan and developments on the ground in the war-torn country (all times local):

Turkey’s state-run news agency says that Turkey, Russia and Iran have reached an agreement on a three-way mechanism to monitor and enforce a cease-fire in Syria.

The announcement is the first sign of progress during the second day of talks underway in Astana, Kazakhstan, between the Syrian government and rebel factions.

The Anadolu Agency said on Tuesday that the mechanism would allow the three countries to respond immediately to reports on breaches of the cease-fire by using “their influence” to end attacks. The report out of Astana was based on unnamed sources.

Anadolu says the agreement is part of an article of a planned joint declaration to be released later in the day. The agency said however, that the final declaration was still being worked out.

Syria talks between the Damascus government and rebel factions are underway in Kazakhstan for a second day, following a rocky start that saw harsh exchanges between the warring sides.

The talks are focused on shoring up a cease-fire in place since Dec. 30 and are to be followed by more negotiations in Geneva next month.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura, who is mediating the talks, promised as he entered the venue at the Rixos Hotel in Astana there will be an “outcome” later on Tuesday.

Syrian rebel spokesman Osama Abo Zayd says his side will communicate with the government delegation through intermediaries, not directly.

The rebels have pinned their hopes on Russia and Turkey, which brokered the cease-fire, but Abu Zayd says they “are waiting for something more than statements.” </s> MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Russian delegation at the Syrian peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, earlier handed over to the Syrian armed opposition proposals on a draft new constitution of the country.

"There are proposals and ideas that could be discussed, they could be really useful, after all," Bogdanov told Sputnik.

The Syria talks were held in Astana on January 23-24. They were initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who proposed establishing in Astana a site of the Syrian peace process in addition to Geneva. </s> MOSCOW: Kazakhstan is fully ready to hold talks on Syria in its capital Astana on Jan. 23, Russia's RIA news agency reported on Tuesday, citing the Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov.

Russia, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally, pushed for peace talks in Astana after Assad's forces won a major victory in eastern Aleppo.

The Astana talks are also backed by Turkey. The United States, which led failed efforts to launch peace talks last year, has not been directly involved in the latest diplomacy.
Peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, between the Syrian opposition and the Syrian Government, meant to build on a fragile ceasefire currently in effect in the Syrian Civil War, end with no breakthrough reported.